Tabula Rasa
by Dahlia DeWinter
Summary: In desperate need for a change, Emma leaves Hogwarts, for a position at Xavier's, where she encounters mutants for the first time. There she strikes up an unexpected friendship with Logan. He tears down her walls and together they find that there is life after war. How will they stay friends without killing each other? Is love in the cards? Lemons. Rated M to be safe. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or any of the X-men. The same can be said of the wonderful world of J.K. Rowling *pouts*. I am in no way making any kind of money from this story and I promise to return the characters just the way I found them.

That being said a little introduction into the story is in order. Basically the story takes place between X-men 2 and X-men 3 (number three will never take place). The Harry Potter world is AU since I scrambled things about there. I hope you enjoy it and if you do then please review, it makes the plot bunnies go into hyper drive :)

* * *

'Cause I'm sick and tired

Of always being sick and tired

Anastacia - Sick and Tired

* * *

It was July and Emma had been feeling restless most of the summer. Being at Hogwarts after the war stifled her even if most of the faculty had not returned yet to start the new semester. Emma had been working as a muggle studies teacher for two years now and she needed a change. She had had no idea that teaching teenagers would be so strenuous; especially when the children asked questions that had nothing to do with school and everything to do with her private life.

Like many veterans of war she felt stifled, jaded and had serious problems seeing the simple pleasures of life. Albus had offered her to stay another year on the teaching post and even though it sounded interesting she was not ready to commit to it.

Not another year, not the same routine. She had had enough of it to last her a lifetime.

The world was out there and the young woman had hardly gotten a taste for it yet. She was twenty-one years old and had taste for adventures, for meeting new people and last but not least to be free. Emma had been dreaming for a long time to go out of the magic world for a while, a year or even more and just be one face of so many in the crowd.

She had more or less decided to leave and essentially only needed Albus's blessing. The old wizard and Minerva had become her only family and she wanted them to know her plans and to approve of them. All the public scrutiny she had been under since the end of the war was suffocating her and she felt like a caged animal that desperately needed to get out.

Ever since Rita Skeeter had written about her story it had been blasted over every magic newspaper making her feel ill at the sight of them. If she went out with friends it was posted in the papers as if everyone she met were her boyfriends or lovers. It had been so bad over the last months that she didn't go out anymore and rather had her friends come to Hogwarts to meet her. That had only fuelled her claustrophobia that was large enough to begin with.

Emma felt herself fuming thinking of that good for nothing gossip columnist. That had been the last straw in her decision of going away for a while. The pitying glances she was getting from both students and faculty were enough to make her want to scream with frustration. She could almost picture the violin music that should be played under every single sad story that Rita had written about her private life.

She was too lazy to walk to Dumbledore's office since it was situated quite far away from her office. Walking up and down the temperamental staircases of Hogwarts was no pleasure, especially if you were in a hurry to get somewhere. That's why most of the teachers could floo to each other fireplaces during the school year.

After quick thinking she decided rather to floo to the headmaster's office that was situated in the very steep headmaster's tower and decided to floo there instead. Not many had the privilege of being able to floo into Dumbledore's office. As far as she knew only her, Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape were able to do so. They were the inner circle of Dumbledore's life in one way or another.

Emma walked over to her fireplace and took a handful of silvery powder from a bowl from the top of the fireplace. Emma cast the floo powder into the hearth as she spoke Dumbledore's name. The fireplace filled with green flames and covered the young witch without burning her before she disappeared. A few seconds later she appeared again in Dumbledore's office.

It was a familiar setting the old office that had housed headmasters of Hogwarts for millennia. It was filled with all kinds of magical wonders most notably the famous sorting hat that sorted the first year students into one of the four houses of Hogwarts.

The office itself was immensely big, cluttered with books and objects but somehow Albus Dumbledore always seemed to know where everything was situated witch amazed Emma even after all the years she had spent at Hogwarts.

"Albus I need to speak with you,_"_ Emma said as soon as she stepped out of the hearth. If Dumbledore would have been busy the fireplace would have been closed and no one would have been able to get in. Therefore she felt comfortable enough about barging in on him; after all she was more like his own daughter than his ward.

"Ah Emma, please come in and give me a moment. I'm going over the student records for next year. There will be more students than ever!" the old wizard said merrily as he greeted the woman and pointed towards a large armchair that was situated in front of his desk.

She grumbled something under her breath at that. More students than ever? The whole castle was packed up to its rafters with students as it were. Where Dumbledore was going to place all the newcomers was beyond her.

Looking around the office meanwhile Dumbledore finished his work she saw Fawkes perched on his stick looking stunningly beautiful. The bird was a phoenix and had been reborn only a few weeks prior. The golden and red feathers gleamed in the light giving him an unearthly look. The bird squawked in a greeting to her and then continued his nap completely unfazed by the world.

"So my dear, why do you need to talk to me?" Albus asked curiously looking at her over his half moon spectacles. His appearance was absolutely how non magic people would imagine a wizard to look like, if they thought one would exist. He had on a reddish silk robe with starts and moons scattered all over. His thick, white beard covered half of his face and then flowed gracefully all the way down his chest.

As to top off the look he had a wizard's hat in the same colour as the robe. Albus Dumbledore was a very unusual man, even unusual for wizards and was often misunderstood or mistrusted for he didn't see the world like anyone else. Those that knew him well trusted them with their life and were completely untouched by the critic of the wizard in the past. However the ones close to him were the first to admit that Albus Dumbledore was an unusual human being, extraordinary unusual.

"Albus, I think I need to get away from Hogwarts for a while. Explore a bit and live life outside of the magic world," Emma said in a gush expecting him to stop her in midsentence like he so often did when things were not going his way.

"Ah yes. What a marvellous timing you have Emma!" the old wizard said merrily. Too merrily for Emma's taste as she saw his signature twinkle light up his eyes. He was up to something, Albus was usually up to something but this time it involved her, of that she was certain.

"What are you up to?" she said accusingly as the wizard chuckled at her suspicion. Emma might be young in years but she was not naive. The innocence of other people's plans had rubbed off her a long time ago. How could it not being sorted into the famous house of Salazar Slytherin?

"Now child do not look at me like that," Dumbledore chuckled and pushed forward a bowl of lemon drops. Emma raised her hand in refusal and waited for the wizards next words.

"It so happens that Harry and Ginny are going on their honeymoon. They have taken an extended leave to go have a proper holiday that they didn't have time for when they married last year."

"I heard about it from 'Moine," Emma said cheekily. She and the brain of the golden trio had been in constant contact ever since their unusual friendship had grown during Emma's years of being a student. Ever since they graduated they had tried to contact each other regularly to keep track of each other's lives and often tried to meet up as well.

"Yes, it is good you have heard about it," the wizard kindly said popping a lemon drop into his mouth and studying her intently. As ever he was quite certain that Emma would do his bidding, she had never refused him so far. The trick with the stubborn Slytherin was to ask her directly and give her no time to rebuff him. In other words bulldoze her into saying yes to whatever he wanted her to do.

"Harry wants their location to be a secret. We cannot be sure that some death eaters are not still out there even though it's been three years since the final battle."

"Then he better not tell anyone" She said with an uninterested voice not understanding how it got to do with her. In fact she didn't want to know what it had to do with her for it would most likely ruin the plans she had for getting away.

"Now Emma no need to be like that. Harry asked for a secret keeper to make sure that their location could not be weaselled out of anyone. He asked for you."

The young witch was stunned; the responsibility was enormous of having the golden boy's life on her conscience. If something would happen she would never be able to live with herself. If something would ever happen to him because of her she would be torn to pieces by a very angry crowd of pissed off wizards.

"Me? Why me? Why not Ron or Hermione? They are much closer to him," she said in defence trying to get out of it even though she suspected Dumbledore of already deciding this. Even though Albus was over one hundred fifty years old his mind worked quicker than most and he usually was a few steps ahead of everyone else.

"For that exact reason he is hesitant. His reasons are that if someone was looking for him they would go immediately after Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger."

Emma nodded, okay that sounded reasonable enough even though she had no idea what she would do being a secret keeper. The last secret keeper she had heard of was Peter Pettigrew who had given up the Potter's location to Voldemort causing the young couple to be murdered. So it was all in all not a very good track record.

"If you agree to it then it would be good if you would ... what do muggles call it... stay off the radar as much as you could for the next year. Not using floo, disapparating or any other type of magic that can easily traced by prying eyes of the Ministry of magic. Will you do this for them? You were planning to leave anyway," he said with an insisting voice that gave no option for refuse.

Emma really wasn't too interested to become a secret keeper for them and being stuck by the magical force of the Fidelus charm. However who should she want to tell anyway? She didn't have many friends and she was leaving so there would be no one around anyway to tell. She would just send Hermione a letter saying she would be away for a year and that she please understand the situation.

Emma was sure that 'Moine would appreciate it had to do with Harry and Ginny but she also knew that Hermione Granger would never utter anything aloud to anyone, not even to her fiancé Ron Weasley. After years of knowing Hermione Emma knew she would trust the witch with her life. After all she had done so many times in the past without any problems.

"Fine I can do it," she said giving up even though she wasn't totally happy about being bound to Harry that way. She wasn't happy about being bound magically to anyone; it was a contract not to be taken lightly by anyone. When you were bound by magic the only way for you to get out of it before the contract time was over was to drop dead. Emma wanted almost nothing less than to be bound to Harry, the only thing she wanted less was death.

"Excellent! Harry will be here tonight. We will go the spell and then you are free to go as you please," the wizard said happily at the witch that sat stunned in the chair opposite him. Dumbledore didn't have to be a legimens to feel the anger radiating from her after his words.

Emma never much liked to be taken for granted not even by her former guardian.

* * *

Two days later she arrived at JFK airport in New York. Dumbledore had suggested an open position as a history teacher at a school for gifted young people close to North Salem in the state of New York. It seemed that even Dumbledore wasn't too happy about losing her completely off the radar so he rather wanted her to start there and then she could decide if she wanted to go somewhere else.

After thinking about it she decided to grab the job. It would be fun to work around non magic people for once and actually just enjoy being a muggle. Even if Dumbledore had found the position through some dubious connection didn't mean that anyone at the school knew anything about magic. Albus Dumbledore simply had many ears listening to an awful many things.

"Are you Emma?" a beautiful dark skinned woman with platinum blonde hair said approaching Emma as she stood waiting to be picked up by someone from the school. Her accent was not strong but noticeable to Emma and sounded African the way she almost sang each word giving them poetic beauty.

"Yes I am," Emma said smiling and shaking hands with the woman who smiled friendly back while her dark eyes studied the new teacher intently. The young witch cringed under the blatant look from the woman as she was not used to such public scrutiny. In the magical world people usually gossiped as soon as you turned your back but few had the audacity to do so while you were still facing them.

"Welcome to the United States, I'm Ororo," she said smiling a pearly white smile at the new history teacher. Ororo was quite surprised; the new teacher looked just like one of the students. Emma Winter didn't look a day older than twenty, her long dark hair in a braid down her back and a shy blush on her face as she smiled at the person that was picking her up.

"Thank you so much, I'm very excited to be here," Emma said enthusiastically and following Ororo out of the building holding her heavy backpack with a stagger. She hadn't wanted to pack too heavy, better to buy a new wardrobe in the new place to be able to fit in. That was a good excuse as most of her clothes were wizard robes that would not be considered too stylish in the muggle world.

The problem was that she had packed too many magical books that were heavy. That much she had felt on her long walk through Heathrow Airport in London. Next time she would not make the same mistake of packing books with her, they were bloody heavy when you couldn't use magic to lighten the load.

"We were a little surprised that Xavier would hire a normal person to Xavier's," Ororo said when they had sat in the car and were driving off.

"A normal person?" Emma asked stunned. The way Ororo had said normal had a similar spite to it as when Draco Malfoy called people mudbloods. It rubbed the young witch the wrong way to be greeted like this as she first stepped ground in a new country where she thought things would be completely different for her.

"Yes someone like you."

Emma looked at her taken aback and a little surprised, "Why would that be so strange?"

"Well I don't know if you know but this is a school for mutants," Ororo said in a strange tone looking expectantly at Emma and surprised to see the hurt in the eyes of the young woman. The young witch felt very vulnerable under the strong gaze of the woman and thought to herself she wouldn't be giving out what she was on the first day in a new place. Not a great undercover work if that happened.

Emma had been living in the magic world for nine years and had not come in to the normal world but for a few moments at a time. Not enough to know really what was going on outside the magic community. Coming from the magic world and not having read a muggle news paper in years the word mutant didn't tell her anything.

What the hell was a mutant?

"Umm I suspect that this might sound bizarre but what is a mutant?" Emma asked feeling like a total idiot when the woman stared at her with an astonished expression on her face as if she didn't believe what the new teacher had just said.

"Seriously you don't know what a mutant is?" Ororo asked completely flabbergasted. After the campaign in the media all over the world she thought anyone and everyone had heard about the mutants. The legislation was such a hot topic everywhere in the world. From under what rock had Xavier found this history teacher? Had she been frozen in ice for a hundred years?

"No I don't," Emma answered feeling her face burn with shame. Obviously the stay in the magical world could have its discomforts especially when it came to news of the muggle world. The magic world rarely cared what happened with muggles unless it was something caused by wizards or witches.

"Right. Well then I better inform you before you get to Xavier's" Ororo said thoughtful and doubting more than ever Xavier's decision in bringing someone in that wasn't a mutant. Their new history teacher would be an outsider from the start since she wasn't one of them. She would probably stare at the students making them uncomfortable and Ororo would not stand for it. As soon as she would get a private moment with Xavier she would try to get him to reconsider his decision.

"You are sure you haven't heard of mutants where you come from?" she asked sceptically as the new teacher shook her head in refusal to her question.

"No I haven't heard anything about a mutant phenomenon where I was working," Emma said honestly and felt slightly dim-witted for not knowing it. It made it even more obvious that she had not been living in the muggle world. The reaction of the white haired woman next to her hinted that. Emma cursed Dumbledore in her mind for sending her to a place where she was an outsider even before starting.

"All right. I better fill you in then. Every person on the planet has an x gene in their system. A gene that has been with man ever since the beginning of time, it is the gene that has helped us to move forward in evolution. With most people today this gene is dormant for the moment. However..." she said looking to her right at the woman that was absorbing her every word with interest.

"... with some this gene is very much active, another stage in evolution so to speak," Ororo said quoting her friend Jean who was a physician and had studied the mutant gene actively.

"Okay I follow you so far," the young British woman said with a strong accent smiling friendly and thoughtfully. Ororo couldn't help thinking that Emma didn't understand at all what she was saying.

"Right, so some people when they are born have this gene active. Evolution gives them some gifts that are out of the ordinary. To the outside world we are called mutants but we like to call them gifts"

Emma was silent at that. Gifts, difference, all this she could understand. It sounded more or less like the way a muggle child was born with magical powers even though no records of any ancestors having that power.

"All of you have gifts at the institute?" Emma asked curiously eyeing Ororo.

"Yes," Ororo said dryly.

"How are these gifts?" the witch asked curiously wondering if these mutants were so different from her after all.

"Well they are as various as we are many. Some can teleport, others can read minds..." she noticed a slight twitch in the new school teacher at that. Not surprising since most had these reaction, no one liked that someone could read their minds.

"... others can bend metal and there are so many that it's really difficult to explain it in general."

"What kind of power do you have?" Emma asked quietly and looking at Ororo with curiosity.

"Weather, I can affect the weather," Ororo replied.

"Really? Can you show me?" Emma asked excited almost bouncing up and down in her seat. Ororo looked at Emma for a second while she was making a decision, finally she settled on showing the new teacher.

"Yes wait I will pull over,_"_ Ororo said and a few moments later she had found the perfect place. Maybe she would scare the woman and she would resign even before reaching the school. That would be the best for them all.

Ororo stepped out of the car with Emma following her with curiosity marked in her features.

Ororo's eyes turned milky white as she stared up into the sky. A wind gushed away from her and sky filled sky changed into a clear sunny day.

"Oh that's wonderful," Emma gushed absolutely thrilled at the powers she saw coming from the woman.

"So this is not a problem for you?" Ororo asked sceptically.

"No why should it, it's beautiful," Emma replied smiling looking up at the sky. She had a feeling she would feel just at home at Xavier's. She was an outsider too, the others just wouldn't know of it.

Ororo couldn't quite put her finger on it but the new teacher was not right. It was not that she wasn't happy that the young woman had an open mind, which was necessary when working with children with mutant powers. However Ororo had never met someone who was so interested in a positive way in mutant powers.

She would have to talk to Xavier when she came to the house and try to get him to reconsider his decision. Ororo didn't feel too optimistic though, Xavier rarely misjudged people. However this time she felt he had.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or any of the X-men. The same can be said of the wonderful world of J.K. Rowling *pouts*. I am in no way making any kind of money from this story and I promise to return the characters just the way I found them.

If you have time please review, it makes the plot bunnies happy.

* * *

Got a secret  
Can you keep it?  
Swear this one you'll save  
Better lock it, in your pocket  
Taking this one to the grave

The Pieces - Secret

* * *

Ororo escorted her to Xavier's office. The weather goddess had become friendlier to the new teacher after the display. The way that the young woman had shown almost a childish innocence at the display of Ororo's gift somehow warmed the older woman's heart. It had not been the reaction she was used to when she showed her power to someone. Usually people were scared and wary however Emma had seemed fascinated with the power emanating from Ororo.

"Charles, I just arrived with the new teacher" Ororo said walking in to the office with Emma waiting anxiously outside the office. She didn't even know why she was so nervous; perhaps it had been the suspicious glances that Ororo had given her in the car when she said she didn't know what mutants were. It made Emma doubt she was right one for the job.

"Thank you very much Ororo" a warm, stoic and very surprisingly British voice answered her from the room. Emma had wondered about the connection between Dumbledore and Xavier. Knowing he was a fellow Brit explained a few things like how the old wizard had been able to pull a string all the way to upstate New York.

Ororo pointed Emma to go inside and closed the door behind her. The young witch was then face to face with a man around sixty who was sitting in a wheelchair. His head was bold and his steel blue eyes shone with warmth and compassion as he looked at the newest member of his staff.

"Miss Winter I presume?" he asked in a deep voice that didn't hide the authority he unconsciously transmitted to everyone. He was surprised to see how young miss winter actually was. She didn't look much older than Rogue or Bobby even though her eyes shone with a light of someone that had seen perhaps too much in a short life.

"Yes I am, nice to meet you Mr. Xavier" she said politely shaking his hand that held hers warmly.

"The English and their code of conduct" he chuckled looking at her face flush at his words.

"I am sorry sir; I have been too long in a boarding school. It comes naturally to me" she said not adding that the wizarding community was similar to a Middle Ages society when it came to courtesy. That part she wisely left out.

"I have lived in America far too long to mind it anymore. As they say, I have loosened up quite a bit. Please call me Charles" he said smiling at the young woman who was watching him curiously.

"Only if you call me Emma" she said warmly and smiling in thanks at the professor when he pointed her to sit down in front of his desk.

"Now let's have a little chat" he said as he steered his wheelchair behind a large desk where he grabbed a printed out paper that had her details on it, the little details she had been allowed to give.

"You have been working as a history teacher for two years? But you are so young hardly older than some of my students here"

"I graduated at eighteen and was offered a teaching position at my old school a year later. Two years later at twenty-one I was ready for a change. So here I am"

"What age did you teach there?" he asked scribbling down details of her words.

"Mostly fifteen to seventeen year old"

"How did the discipline go? After all you were so close to their age?" he asked.

To his surprise she chuckled coldly at that statement. At least Xavier was honest in his surprise of her age and she liked him even more for it.

"I assure you the discipline was not the ... that was not a problem" Emma replied. Her association with the most dreaded teacher at Hogwarts had quickly solved any discipline problems she had ever worried about. The bat of the dungeons had a reputation that exceeded Hogwarts, especially after the war. No one wanted to cross him or anyone who was associated with him.

"Ororo was surprised that you did not know of mutants" Xavier said studying her reactions as he said so. It worked she looked at him with an astonished expression on her face.

"Yes it seems so but she has nothing to worry about. Hang on how did you know that she was?" she asked suspicious. The weather goddess had not left Emma's sight since they first met at JFK.

"I'm telepathic" he said simply not enjoying the way his new teacher paled. Charles Xavier was used to many bad reactions from normal people and even mutants when he admitted what his power was. Emma's reaction was nothing out of the ordinary but discomfort was something he regretted seeing on the young woman's face.

"Oh right" she answered feeling herself half shut down. Emma tested the occlumency barriers that she had put in place, they were there. Her strength had never lain in that field so the barrier was never strong but it was still intact.

"Don't worry. I or any member of my staff will read your mind while you are here. That would be extremely impolite" he said gravelly knowing full well what people thought in general of telepaths. Emma's dislike was very high, closing in on Logan's and that was a far cry from normal.

"So I have your word? I would be extremely uncomfortable knowing that someone read my mind" she asked knowing full well how little words could mean. It would just somehow make her feel more at ease. Merlin, how the noble mind of Dumbledore had rubbed on her like giving your word meant anything in today's world.

"Of course. We all have our secrets" Xavier said solemnly.

Emma studied him from under his lashes. He seemed genuine. Not as wonderful as Albus but few ever were.

"Now this is the number of your bedroom and this is the key to it. You chose yourself if you want to have it locked or not but I assure you there is no need for it here" Charles said warmly as he handed over a key to her room.

"Thank you" she said pocketing the small metal key into her jeans.

"You should rest and tonight at dinner I will introduce you to the rest of the staff. Be downstairs at seven" Charles said warmly and watched the new teacher smile shyly to him before grabbing her things and exit the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or any of the X-men. The same can be said of the wonderful world of J.K. Rowling *pouts*. I am in no way making any kind of money from this story and I promise to return the characters just the way I found them.

If you have time please review, it makes the plot bunnies run like the wind :)

* * *

People are strange when you're a stranger,

Faces look ugly when you're alone.

Women seem wicked when you're unwanted,

Streets are uneven when you're down.

The Doors – People are strange

* * *

Emma had been working at Xavier's for a month and was relatively happy. She had quite an easy time teaching the children even though some were wary at her in the beginning because she was normal. It was quite funny to her that here she was feared because she was normal. Sometimes she wondered what they would say then if they knew she was a witch. That would be worse in their eyes she was sure.

Working as a teacher was fine by her. She didn't have to teach until ten in the morning as Xavier had quickly noticed that she was in no way, shape or form a morning person. The only way for her to wake up before nine in the morning was simply not to have gone to bed the evening before.

Emma didn't have a full job, only the very senior members of the faculty had that. All the younger ones had less so they could pursue whatever they wanted. The plus was that she was usually finished quite early in the afternoon and could do whatever she wanted for the rest of the day and evening. That was except once a week when she made dinner for the entire house. The faculty changed turns in doing so as to give the cook time off work in the evenings.

Emma didn't mind it that much; she didn't cook something very complicated. Usually she chose pasta because the kids were crazy for it. The plus with having the afternoons off was that she could take naps or spend time under a tree somewhere on the premises reading a book.

The witch couldn't sleep well most nights, either she tossed restlessly through the night or if she was lucky enough to fall asleep it was filled with nightmares, tears and screaming. Emma had tried her best to stifle the screaming by rather keeping awake but it too was taking its toll on her. The last thing she wanted were concerned staff members checking on her.

This was one of the restless nights and at two am she gave up and got up. It was better just to get up, distract the mind and get something warm to drink. Usually that was enough to get her to fall asleep.

She sat down by the kitchen table waiting for her coffee to get ready. Her mind was far away as she tiredly yawned and looked bored out of the kitchen window.

Suddenly Emma heard a gruff voice not far away from her saying, "hey you new?"

The young witch got startled hearing someone so close and grabbed her chest in an attempt to steady her heart as she looked towards the sound of the voice. She was not used to having company so late in the night; usually the late ones were in bed just after midnight.

"Sorry didn't want to startle you," the man said gruffly and looking apologetically at her. He was a strange looking fellow Emma thought. He had the strangest hairstyle she had seen since… ever. The closest she could think of was Elvis but that wasn't quite right and his mutton chops gave him a retro feel. He was wearing jeans and a large flannel shirt that didn't hide his huge bulk.

His eyebrow crooked up in a mock grin noticing her studying him so intently.

"It's all right, I'm new yes," Emma said smiling a little and then standing up holding out her hand in greeting. Somehow that man looked very much a handshake kind of man.

"Emma, I'm the new history teacher," She said and noticed that the man hesitated a microsecond before grabbing her hand tightly and squeezing it almost to death.

"Logan," he said not giving her any more info's on himself or what he did at Xavier's. He crooked an eyebrow at her when he noticed her pull her hand out of his grasp and trying to shake life into it again.

"Ain't you too young to be a teacher?_"_ he asked looking at the young woman in front of him that didn't look much older than Rogue. She was good-looking that much he could notice but aloof as if not quite connected to earth somehow.

"No,_"_ was the simple answer she gave him. This Logan fellow was not the only one who had asked her that at Xavier's.

"So ya from England?" He asked gruffly hearing her accent that didn't sound American at all.

"Yes," Emma said smiling brightly at him as he watched her going to the stove and surprisingly not making the signature drink of the English but instead making what seemed to be a very strong espresso. They waited for the coffee to get ready in silence, neither of them in much of a talkative mood.

"You want a cup?" she asked the guy even though he looked far from being an espresso kind of man and much more of a lager type. Her suspicion was verified a second later when he replied.

"No thanks kid, I'll grab a beer," he said and for emphasis dragged out a six pack from the back of one of the cupboards. He had hidden his stash behind boxes of muesli that he knew the kids would never touch. He was correct, not one of the boxes had been moved since he put the beer there months ago.

Logan sat on the counter and watched the young woman while he drank his beer. At least she didn't suffocate him with chatter about nothing since they didn't know each other. The new teacher seemed quite content to ignore him and sit in her own corner looking out of the window while sipping on her coffee.

He left silently a while later but was quite certain that she hadn't noticed his disappearance.

* * *

"How many teachers are there here?" Emma asked Ororo as they were sitting in the kitchen having their morning coffee. The house was relaxed, most of the people were out and the two women had the whole house to themselves.

"Let me see, it's me, Scott, Hank, the professor and Logan. He just arrived a few days ago. I don't know if you have met him yet."

"I met him a few times," Emma said nonchalantly.

"Oh you did?"Ororo asked curiously wondering why Emma hadn't mentioned it before. Usually people mentioned it right away when meeting the famous Wolverine.

"That's good, then you have met all of us," she said smiling at the younger woman that she had grown to like over the few days they had gotten to know each other.

"You said everybody is a mutant but me, so what's their power?" Emma asked Ororo curiously. The witch had noticed that Ororo didn't tell her much unless she pumped her for information. As she was curious by nature it was not a problem for her to ask away.

"I prefer to call it a gift myself," Ororo said trying to direct Emma to use a more politically correct lingo in the house, "as you know I can affect the weather."

"Yes I remember," Emma said smiling at the woman sitting with her. The mutant power was a curious thing to her and very interesting.

"Do you know your eyes turn white when your power is on? Does that happen with everybody?"

"Not at all. There is basically no common factor that you can use over a group of mutants simply because we are too different to be categorized," she said not unkindly to being bombarded with questions. She had noticed that Emma had a curious mind that loved to ask questions about everything under the sun. Ororo could just picture how she had been when she was a child and all the questions she must have asked back then.

"I'm sorry Ororo, I didn't mean to offend in any way, I'm just curious," Emma said apologetically not wanting to ruffle any feathers with the older woman that she had started to like quite a lot.

"No you got me wrong! I am thrilled that you're asking. It's my pleasure to teach you about mutants and the differences between them. It's better to know than not."

"Right, then what's Scott's thing?" she saw Ororo look at her with a disapproving glance so she decided to quickly fix it, "I meant of course ... errr gift?"

"Besides being good looking you mean?" Ororo joked being rewarded by a giggle from Emma who had noticed the same thing herself.

"You have noticed that he always wears sunglasses?"

Emma nodded at that, she had wondered about it. Even though it was a different life from the magic world she came from she had not seen anyone but Scott wearing sunglass all day and evening.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem the type to use them as much as he does," Emma replied hoping that Ororo wouldn't get that comment wrong as well. She didn't.

"His gift is an immense laser beam from his eyes. The glasses help him to control it so we won't all be burnt to ashes."

"I'm trying to picture it in my mind, but it's very difficult," Emma admitted having never seen anything resembling it and she was quite stunned at the power that Scott possessed. It was amazing to know that non-magical people could have such a power.

"I'm sure you will see it at some point" Ororo said smiling, "he often practises it, as we all try to enhance our strengths and reduce our weaknesses"

"And Hank? Besides being a mutant activist, a physician and ... blue," she said blushing furiously at her last statement. Ororo laughed at that, Hank was indeed very blue and hairy.

"His nickname is The Beast even though you wouldn't think so since of his usual gentile nature," she said more lovingly than she realized and Emma shot her a sideways glance. If there ever were some unresolved feelings between two people they were brewing between Hank and Ororo.

"Beast would be the furthest away from what I've seen from him. He has been nothing but kind towards me," Emma said not hiding the fact that she held him in the highest regard.

"It's for his alter ego that he picked it, when he's fighting he can be vicious. A real beast."

"And Logan? His gift is smoking cigars or the way he drinks a beer in mere seconds?" Emma said sarcastically to Ororo.

"Well now it's confirmed, you really have met the real Logan," Ororo laughed knowing that at first glance that's how he appeared.

"I've only seen that side" Emma said apologetically since she had only met him a few times during the night when neither of them were in a talkative mood.

"Don't worry, that's as far as most people will get to see. He's a very private person. A friend of his friends but the rest he won't care for one way or another."

"He looks like the type of person you would love to have on your team and hate to have against you," Emma said knowingly after her share of battles in her life.

"That's Logan in a nutshell" Ororo muttered thinking of all the times that Logan had picked on Scott in the past or how often he had saved them from a tight spot.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or anyone from the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.

I'm in no way making any kind of money from this story and promise to return all of them in one piece after I finish with them.

* * *

Very superstitious,  
Nothin' more to say,  
Very superstitious,  
The devil's on his way,

Stevie Wonder – Superstition

* * *

_Emma stood in a field, it was dark and freezing. She could feel her breath as it came out of her nostrils into the cold winter air forming mist as the warmth clashed with the icy air. She stood terribly still listening if she could hear anyone or anything close by but everything was eerily silent. _

_Somehow it all felt like a déjà vu, something that she had experienced in her past before. It was on the tip of her tongue; it was something that Emma knew she should remember. A scene of great dread came over her as she tried feeling the cold ground for her wand, her steadfast companion through the years. Roars of thunders could be heard in the distance and before she understood what was going on a bolt of lightning illuminated the field where she stood. _

_Emma frantically looked around, there were dead bodies scattered around her in all directions as far as the eye could see. The people closest to her were the ones she loved the most, Dumbledore, McGonagall, the trio and others. _

_All dead. _

_As she tried to scream for help no sounds seemed to leave her mouth no matter how hard she tried to get some sort of sound leave her lips. Nothing. She was alone and terrified beyond words. Her heartbeat was erratic and so loud that she had trouble trying to concentrate on anything else but duddum duddum duddum sound of her horrified heart. _

_The fright was suffocating her and the atmosphere was driving her crazy as she tried to run out of the field without touching any of the bodies. That of course was a failed task from the start as she stumbled and fell onto one as soon as she tried moving in the darkness and the heavy rain that had followed the lightning. Emma jumped inhumanly fast to her feet as she continued to scream inside herself. the terror was stifling her and she had no idea what to do or where to hide from the threat that was looming over her. _

_She could hear sounds in the distance of something advancing from the darkness but she couldn't see what it was, nor could she run. Her feet had gotten lodged to the ground and she was stuck to meet her destiny amongst all the others that had so before her. _

_Emma felt her body shaking as if there was a great earthquake rummaging her as she stood on the field. She frightfully tried to look around into the darkness to see if the unknown threat was causing the tremors that were rummaging her body. _

Emma woke up from her nightmare screaming with terror, her hand reaching for her wand to defend herself as a male's voice called out her name urgently in the shadows. She looked around frantically in the dark trying to see who was calling out to her but Emma saw nothing as darkness swallowed up the room. Finally her eyes adjusted enough for her to see a dark shadow that was looming over her as Emma tried piece together in her mind what had happened.

It took her a moment to understand that the dark mass in front of her was shaking her and holding her shoulders in a vice grip. Before Emma knew what she was doing, she had bolted up in her bed wand in hand pointing at the shadow. It was a normal reflex for one that had lived so long with the aid of magic.

" Stupefy!_"_ Emma bellowed in self-defence seeing a red bolt of light sparked from her wand towards the ominous shade that had loomed so threateningly over her and had been holding her so tightly only seconds before.

The shadow was shot away from the bed by the power of the curse and only seconds later it crashed into the hallway wall that was just outside her bedroom door. A loud crashing sound was heard as a very surprised Logan crashed violently into the wall facing Emma's bedroom door.

In the dim lights of the hallway Emma could finally see that the shadow was Logan and not a part of her unbearable nightly torments. Before she could apologize or run away Logan was up in a split second seemingly unharmed but furious.

It had been a nightmare; the one about the killing field was a reoccurring one. A nightmare that had started shortly after the last battle of Voldemort and had tormented Emma ever since. As she threw off the last clutches of the nightmare from her confused mind she instantly regretted her actions towards the angry mutant who looked murderous.

Logan was inside her room again, he slammed the door shut behind him and turned on the ceiling light to see what he was dealing with.

Emma had heard a rumbling sound that she couldn't locate until she realized that Logan was growling at her. The man was actually growling at her like some wild beast. The witch was startled when she heard it because there was no mistaking the intimidating sound that vibrated from his chest and into the room.

"What the hell was that!" Logan snarled menacingly as he stomped towards her like an angry moose. Emma was quite certain he didn't want an answer to that one; it looked more like he wanted to kick her ass than listen to her explain herself.

Emma looked terrified as she stared back at him, her eyes almost black with fright and her breathing dangerously close to hyperventilation. Her lower lip was trembling as if she was a split second from breaking down crying at the sight of him. How in Merlin's name was she supposed to fix the mess she had caused by pure accident? She had no idea how to deal with Logan's just anger for being slung into the wall like a ragdoll.

The strange scent Logan had noticed as he had come into her room had intensified; the scent of warm cinnamon seemed to be coming from the young woman who sat confused and startled on the bed. He had never felt that scent from any human being before and it made him even more suspicious of the nature of this new teacher whom Xavier had embraced and invited into the school.

The thing that stuck out the most to Logan as completely odd was a wooden stick Emma held pointing at him as if it were a formidable weapon of some sorts.

"You think some stupid stick can stop me girl!" he snarled feeling the scent of terror in the air. It did not help the situation as it only drove the beast forward to feel her so terrified of him. The beast was howling for blood and even though Logan could as a rule reel it in, the wildness in him still affected his judgments at times. The beast within him wanted nothing more than to draw blood; her blood.

Even though Emma had an innocent face it was denying that she was dangerous. The beast roared at Logan that she was a danger to him and everybody else within the school.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you! What were you doing in my room?" Emma snarled back at the pissed off Logan who looked angrier with every second passing. Emma tried to think straight and understand what had happened, she had been sleeping albeit not peacefully and that man-beast had woken her up. That said beast now looked as if he wanted to gut her for trying to defend herself from him.

Logan's glance strayed automatically from Emma's teary face to her chest that was very visible through the transparent bed sheet. It was a very see-through bed sheet indeed showing every curve of her well shaped …

"Do you mind? What the hell is wrong with you? Get out!" Emma hissed indignant and dragging the cover to hide her chest better with shaking fingers. She didn't like the way the look that had come into his eyes, as if she was about to be eaten by the big bad wolf. Emma had gotten used to sleeping in the nude when she got her own quarters back at Hogwart's but realized how stupid that had been to keep that custom when coming to Xavier's. Especially it seemed very dense when Logan was ogling at her chest as if it was some kind of a desert.

Logan seemed to have snapped out of his momentary distraction and narrowed his eyes angrily at her. His stance was almost a crouch, as if he was about to jump and attack her at any moment given the opportunity.

"Oh no, you ain't gonna twist things around and pin this on me. You and I are going to the professor, something about you ain't right" Logan barked at her even more stunned than Emma was that he had been staring at her chest so intently. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn't the first pair of breasts he had seen by a long shot.

He snapped out of it and angrily glared at her only to be paid back in same. It seemed he was not the only one who was seething with anger and that infuriated him further. The new teacher, Emma, had seemed normal but she sure as hell blew that out of the water with her little making the Wolverine fly stunt.

Emma put her wand down beside her on the bed and took a deep breath to calm down; there was little chance she would be allowed to continue her stay at Xavier's if the professor would hear about what had occurred. She was quite certain that the professor would be very disappointed in her for hiding this gigantic secret from him and in all honesty she had no desire to even find out what Charles Xavier would think.

"I really don't think we have to go to Xavier, we can just…"

Logan had heard enough, there was no way that he would have Emma talk her way out of the mess she was in. He quickly walked the few steps that were between him and her bed; grabbed Emma's arm securely and dragged her out of bed. Emma squeaked with fright and somehow the cover mercifully dragged along in her shaky hands. She struggled to keep the sheep wrapped around her naked body as not to be exposed in front of the very pissed off Logan. The way he had looked at her before had freaked her out enough; she didn't need any more eerie looks from that man.

Logan bent his face down so it was inches from Emma's startled face and growled menacingly at her as she tried to struggle out of his arms with no luck. She could feel Logan's fingers bore mercilessly into the sore muscles of her upper arms and it only got worse with every movement she made to try to break free from him.

"Just let me go!" Emma screeched feeling the desperation in her voice as she continued to struggle out of his hated to be confined like this, especially by someone that was so evidently much stronger physically. Emma never liked to be at someone's mercy especially by some guy that crept into her room while she had been sleeping.

Angrily Emma wondered why no one of the staff had heard the commotion that was bound to be heard all over the house but then she remembered that Ororo had taken her class to New York. They would be spending the night there and as a support she had gotten Scott and Hank to accompany her to help with the unruly teenagers. Meanwhile Logan and Emma were in charge of the younger students; thankfully they were all in bed instead of witnessing the mess that their teachers were in.

That left only Emma and Logan in the staff quarters as Xavier slept elsewhere in the mansion. That thought scared her more than she was willing to admit; perhaps going to Charles was the only way to get out of being mauled by Logan.

"Don't bullshit me! We are going now to sort this shit out right now!" he barked at her like a drill sergeant and dragged Emma out of her room as if she were a ragdoll and not a human being. Logan didn't think once on giving the woman time to cover herself better.

Mercifully there were no students on the to see her extraordinarily humiliating way of being dragged through the hallways of Xavier's in her bedcover by a very pissed off Logan who looked like he wanted to throttle her on the spot.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or anyone from the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I'm in no way making any kind of money from this story and promise to return all of them in one piece after I finish with them.

I want to thank my beta for a wonderful job of helping me, discussing the plot and really helping me to dig into the characters. It has been priceless :)

* * *

Leave me be, I don't wanna argue

I just get confused and I come all undone

Sarah McLachlan - Time

* * *

Emma's arms were killing her, especially the one that Logan still held in a death grip as if he was convinced she would try to run off. The witch had never been scared of Logan before but she felt the panic bubbling inside of her like never before. As the growling mutant dragged her towards Xavier's office she thought on what Ororo and Scott had told her about Logan.

What stood out in her memory were the stories of the countless times that Logan had lost his temper during missions and gotten completely berserk. In those stories he had ruined everything and everyone in his path, unfortunately for Emma she was smack in the middle of Logan's path after the incident in her bedroom.

A more formidable opponent Emma could not have imagined. Logan was very impressive when he was pissed off; the mere air of his anger was enough to make any person want to cover in fright. Fucking scary was a better description of what she felt of his antics. His ample muscles rippled just under his skin as if he was trying his best to reel his temper in before exploding. It wasn't working to soothe Emma's fright at all as his wild stare showed very much how much battle he was having with himself. If he would lose she would be dead.

Grudgingly Emma admitted to herself that she had to give Logan props for being the first one to figure out that she wasn't one of the normal people. Emma's intuition had warned her about Logan's keen senses but she had decided not to listen to it. His alertness seemed too eager to investigate whatever was out of the norm and now she was on the other end of Logan's wrath.

Emma was paying the price for pissing off the Wolverine and he hinted as much as his hand held her upper arm in a deadlock. The tosser had no idea how strong he was and as she looked down on her arms she could see angry red marks already forming on her upper arms. Emma was certain her arms would be black and blue after his antics, but also suspected that Logan would not be concerned if she had a few bruises after their clash. He on the other hand looked perfectly fine after his close encounter with the hallway wall. It seemed the only thing her attack had done was to ruffle his feathers and hurt his pride.

It wasn't until they were outside Xavier's office that Emma realized that her wand had fallen to the floor in her room when Logan had pulled her out of bed. Perhaps that was the best thing as she was not thinking straight and was certain she would have done more damage than anything if she had her wand on her person during the walk of shame.

Emma's overactive imagination started to whirl blasting pictures in her mind of what she would do with him as soon as the meeting with Charles Xavier was finished. One or another that mental picture usually ended with Logan going up in flames or just disappearing from view. Of course it was merely wishful thinking but her vindictive nature was never far away, especially at being dragged to Charles Xavier as if she was a student and about to be reprimanded. Standing in the spotlight of Logan's wrath made her feel exactly that, as if she were a young student and not a teacher.

They reached Xavier's office and Logan didn't bother to knock, he was quite certain that Chuck was in there. The professor had a knack of always being awake when hell broke out in the house, which was quite regular being in a house filled with so many diverse people with miscellaneous powers.

Logan barged in with Emma in tow that was spitting with fury at the humiliation of being dragged all over the mansion as if she were a mere child and not a full grown woman.

"Logan, Emma" Xavier said seriously as he watched the odd couple come in. Emma looked terrified; Charles didn't have to be a mind reader to see. Her face was pale as a ghost and her hair had come undone from her braid, becoming an unruly curly mess. To Charles's surprise Emma was only dressed in a white sheet reminding him of an old style toga.

The professor understood the seriousness of the matter when he looked into her dark eyes and saw that they were glossy with unshed tears that she tried her best to hide from the two men that studied her carefully. Looking in surprise at Logan for answers Charles instantly noticed that the man in front of him looked split second from losing control. That look on the Wolverine usually bode ill for anyone who was around so Xavier was prepared for the worst as he wondered what had happed between the two that had gotten so out of control.

Xavier gave Logan a stern look followed by a mental command, "Logan let her go, can't you see you're hurting her?"

Logan let her arm go as if it was burning his hand and stomped over the floor of the office to take a stance behind Xavier as if to show Emma his allegiance to Xavier as if there was any doubt in her mind.

"Whatever it is, you couldn't have her dress first?_"_ Xavier asked Logan strictly even though he knew it had to be a good explanation for Logan's behaviour. As far as Charles knew there had never been such a serious clash between two of his teachers. Logan had never lost such a control over a fellow staff member before and now he looked like the little control he had was being whisked out the window by Xavier's words. Logan flashed Emma teeth in a threatening snarl before momentarily reigning in his wildness to talk to Xavier.

"This so-called teacher attacked me! She blasted me through the door of her room!" Logan snarled pointing accusingly at Emma who was trying to find some logical sounding reason to why that could have happened. Nothing came to mind. She was too shocked to think, the growling and snarling of the Wolverine had put her into a state of pure shock. What kind of person did that to another one?

"Logan, sit down" Charles Xavier said to the fuming man behind him and Logan backed off to sit in a chair on one side of Xavier's desk. Charles looked at Emma as to urge her to tell him her side of the story. The young woman sat down on a chair close to his desk as if unintentionally seeking shelter from Xavier. Emma was trying to look dignified and not like a young terrified woman who was wrapped in a sheet to hide her obvious nudity from the two men. Emma failed; she looked even younger than she had before and her pale face showed how terrified she was.

"Now what happened here Emma? Please don't lie to me I will know if you are"

She studied him silently for a moment and then sighed dramatically. How on earth would she even begin to explain what had happened to Xavier?

"Where to begin?"Emma asked tiredly rubbing her eyes as to give herself time to think of answers.

"It usually works to start at the beginning" Logan said disdainfully interrupting the dialogue.

Emma didn't like the way Logan was coldly studying her every move as if he suspected her of bolting through the door. She didn't like it at all because he was spot on. There was nothing more she wanted to do than to run like hell out of the office and disappear but the steely glance in Logan's eyes stopped her. Emma was quite certain she wouldn't get far before Logan would get her and he was the type of man who would relish in the hunt.

A cold shudder went up her spine wondering what the crazy caveman would do if she would try to flee. Whatever it would be, it would be awful.

"Right" she drawled sarcastically at Logan staring at him with distrust. Then the story came gushing out of her, a very biased version of the story. Typical Slytherin as Ronald Weasley would have said if he had heard it.

"I was having a nightmare and was woken up by HIM hovering over my bed with his paws all over me!" she hissed at Logan and getting the reward she wanted when Logan blinked in shock at her version of events. At the look of utter surprise on Logan's face Emma couldn't help the glee of malice that came over her. If she could only turn the story so Xavier would turn his attention towards Logan she might get out of the situation without further compromising herself.

Not waiting for Xavier to ask anything further, Logan growled heatedly back at Emma, "Don't flatter yourself kid, I just heard you screaming and went to check if you were okay. You were the one that attacked me, throwing me out of the room and almost through the hallway wall"

"As I bloody well should! How dare YOU come into my room to begin with?" Emma hissed at him furious losing her temper yet again. The situation was spiralling more out of control with every moment passing and she couldn't help the dread that was forming at the pit of her stomach as Xavier looked at her with a confused expression. Emma knew that it wouldn't be long until she would be asked questions that were far more stressing, questions that she would have problem answering

"That's no easy feat Emma, much bigger and stronger men than you have tried the same and failed" Charles said studying her intently trying to understand what had been going on before Logan decided to literally pull the young woman into his office. Emma wasn't a mutant; his telepathic abilities made him able to recognize mutants right away. He had gotten no hint of mutant abilities from Emma through her time at the mansion.

"I know you are not a mutant so how did you do it? How did you throw a man that weighs close to four hundred pounds, over a room as if he were a mere feather?"

Emma hesitated chewing her lip uncertain what she should say. How on earth could she explain that to Xavier? She had problems lifting forty pounds, let alone four hundred.

"I assure you that we will not betray your trust if you are worried about that"

Emma looked at him strangely. Was it possible he knew already or had he dug into her head while she was sitting there?

"You promised that you wouldn't do that mind reading thing" she said accusingly feeling the situation slipping more and more out of control. What would be next she wondered? Mind reading from Xavier followed by a storm from Ororo?

No most likely Logan would maul her to death; he seemed to be gearing up for that.

"I did no such thing, but if there is something that might threaten my students that promise is void. I am sorry for that but those are my rules here at the institution" the professor said harshly and Emma knew he wasn't bluffing. He didn't look like a bluff kind of man. His concern was and always would be his students and their welfare.

Logan nodded eagerly in agreement with the professor. The hostility that was coming from him was almost suffocating Emma and infuriating her at the same time. There were not many people that had attacked her so openly and humiliated her like Logan had done and she wowed to herself that she would take her revenge on him as soon as possible.

"What I am ... I won't hurt anyone. I wouldn't have done anything if he hadn't startled me"

"And what are you?" Charles Xavier asked curiously and the moments seemed to linger endlessly as the young woman in front of him seemed to contemplate what her answer should be. She looked terrified and at the same time she looked as if she wanted to stand up and leave. Finally she looked at the professor with a steely glance signalling she had made her decision.

"I have your word that what I will tell you will not leave this office? From both of you?" she asked coldly staring Logan down.

Xavier answered calmly, "You have my word that neither of us will utter a word. Isn't that right Logan?"

"Yep, now spill" Logan said, a man never much for small talk. Especially not when waiting for something important.

Emma studied them both momentarily; she knew instinctively that she could trust Charles with her secret as he had no reason to tell anyone about her. Logan, even though she wasn't too fond of him at the moment she had heard from the other staff that he was a good man, a man of his words. Logan wouldn't tell anyone.

"The reason why I could do what I did is because I'm a witch" Emma mumbled knowing that they would probably not believe her. She doubted anyone would believe her when saying that. The magic community was an exclusive club that didn't take in any muggles or non-magic people. Therefore their existence was known to very few outside of their ranks.

Logan felt a rush of laughter burst from his chest at Emma's confession.

A witch?

If she was a witch then wings sprouted out his ass. His mind filled with pictures of witches from cartoons, old crones with warts on their noses. That slip of a girl didn't look anything like the witches he had in mind. Emma looked more like a pissed off teenager than anything he could identify as a witch.

Emma coldly ignored him; Logan infuriated her the way he made fun of her. It had not surprised her at all that Logan didn't believe her. She had expected as much from him, it was far more important that Charles Xavier would accept her statement.

"You realize how hard it is for me to understand it what you are talking about_"_ Charles said seriously at her trying to understand her words. A witch? Unlike Logan he had heard about them but in a fleeting way, more as a rumour or myth. He had never seen any evidence that suggested that her kind actually existed. He had always thought they were urban legends, a tall tales told by drunken mutants that hoped that there were others out there just as different as mutants that were not willing to come out into the daylight with their powers.

Emma sighed wondering how she should explain a life, an existence of so many to those that didn't believe or know that magic existed.

"Look it is very similar to mutants. Magic is a power one is born with and that power can be used for good or … ehhh… less good depending on who the person is"

"How dangerous can it be for those around?" Xavier asked concerned for his students. He was not really thrilled on having almost a complete stranger waltz around the mansion with power that he did not comprehend.

"I don't know how to answer that since I do not consider myself a dangerous person. The only thing I can assure you is that I will not use magic, similar to the one I used, anywhere close to the school. That is as long as HE won't come into my bedroom when I'm sleeping"

Charles was silent for a moment, silently studying Emma who sat before him with a defiant look on her face. He knew he had to ask her a difficult question and felt guilty for it since Emma had implored him not to break that trust with her when they had first met_. _

"You realize that I will have to ask permission to read your mind to verify your story. It's not my pleasure to do so but if you wish to stay here I implore you to trust me, nothing of what I will see will go further. You must understand my predicament"

Emma was tempted to stand up and leave. It was not that she didn't like the school or its faculty because she did but it was absolutely vile to let him into her mind. Her eyes shot over at Logan who stood by the window looking at her with a triumphant grin on his face as if he was more than happy to get rid of her from the property. It was like he knew that she was tempted to leave and was joyful to get rid of her.

The witch felt her hands itch with want to slap the smug grin off Logan's face. Emma's temper had gotten her into more troubles than she could count and she was trying her best to keep as calm as she could in an impossible situation. Emma tapped the arm of the chair with her fingers deep in thought feeling irritable. Logan's winning grin at her sealed the deal; she would allow Xavier this once into her mind.

"Anything you see will not be uttered aloud by you? I'm not threatening you but there will be consequences if it gets out in the open because the magical world wants to be left in peace" she said unemotionally in defeat. She had decided to stay and trust Xavier into her mind. Perhaps it was good after all to have someone know her little secret, that she was a witch. Emma liked Xavier and knew that Dumbledore had gotten nothing but positive feedback from his inquiries into Xavier's character.

"You're in no position to threaten anyone kid" Logan growled at her in warning. He had no qualms about getting rid of her personally if the professor wanted him to. He doubted that Xavier would want that but still he would be more than happy to comply.

"Look here fuckwit; you are being an absolute prat!" Emma hissed unladylike at Logan wishing she had her wand so she could hex him to kingdom come. Her eyes were shooting with the anger she felt and to the two men she looked more like a cornered wild cat than an insulted history teacher. Her reaction made Xavier wonder if Emma was in fact telling the truth, there was no sign of lies from her.

"Very well, I agree to your terms. Let's commence, it won't take a moment and you won't feel anything" Xavier said not unfriendly trying to get the situation under control before the two people in his study would end up attacking each other. He knew that Logan wasn't far from it but what surprised him was the fierce temper of his new teacher. Charles hadn't expected to be getting another mini version of the Wolverine into the manor when he had hired Emma Winter.

Xavier closed his eyes to gain better concentration and with his mind reached out to Emma. A startled gasp came from Emma as she got the feeling that someone was attacking her mind. Emma moaned in pain as her feeble mental barriers were broken down in one sweep by Xavier's strong powers.

It felt as if all her life was being scrambled about in her brain and served on a plate for Xavier's pleasure. Moments later the pressure was suddenly off her mind and Emma grabbed her head in an immense pain, it was like having the worst migraine ever as the thundering throbbing attacked her mind making her nauseous.

"I apologize. I had no idea that you would feel that to this extent" Xavier said apologetically looking at Emma doubled over in pain from his mindreading. That had never happened before; usually people didn't even feel his presence in their minds. On the other hand since Emma was a witch, and there was no denying it now that she was one, she was more sensitive to things that others wouldn't even notice. Emma had learnt to put up mental barriers, not strong mind, but still had learn to put them up and that made her even more sensitive to their destruction.

"You got your verification that I am who I said?" she asked tiredly rubbing her temple trying to soothe the thundering that was going on behind her eyelids.

"Indeed." Xavier said studying her intently as if wanting to ask something but deciding to hold it back. There would be enough time later to ask questions when she was feeling better. He also knew that Logan had truly frightened her when he barged in and that she was planning her vendetta against the snarling mutant.

"Are we done now?" she said tiredly just wanting to get back to bed and forget this night ever happened. Perhaps the humiliation would sting less tomorrow even though she doubted it. A strong character flaw of the Slyterins of Hogwarts was their undying pride and stubbornness. Emma was quite sure she would detest Logan until the day she would die.

"Yes Emma, you may go. I assure you everything is safe with me, safe with us" The professor said and Emma studied his face as if she wasn't quite certain. She trusted him, not much but enough to let it lie for now. Another time she would discuss things better and try to make him understand why the magical community needed to be in hiding.

"Will you make the beast hold its tongue?" Emma asked spitefully glaring at Logan while saying so. It was if her intuition knew exactly what to call him to rock the boat again. It worked like magic, the Wolverine was back growling at her in honest. The witch smirked evilly not sorry at all for hurting him. It served him right for being a prat.

"Logan won't discuss this with anyone I assure you. Now please go rest. Again my apologies for inflicting pain on you_"_ Xavier said sincerely. He knew that out of the members of his staff he could trust Logan the most to sit on a secret of this calibre.

What he was sure he could not trust Logan to do was to escort Emma back to her room. It was more likely that the Wolverine would take over and he would try to strangle her somewhere in the way. Even worse Emma would find some way to push Logan's buttons again. That was exactly the reason why Charles decided that Logan would sit behind when Emma would leave.

One thing was for certain in the professor's mind. The two firecrackers were sure to bump heads again; Xavier hoped he wouldn't be there to watch it happen as it was a strenuous thing to watch.

Then Emma got up to leave the office while trying to ignore the two men. Especially she tried to ignore Xavier that was looking at her with a mix of humour and pity in his eyes. She hated pity and had gotten enough of that back home at Hogwarts. The reason for the humour was about to be explained.

"Oh and Emma no hexing Logan later on, let's not continue this rift" Charles said amused as the witch stopped dead in her track for a moment obviously not happy for him to have found out. Then she looked over her shoulder to glare fuming at Logan who stared at her in pure disbelief when he heard Chuck's words.

Taking revenge was exactly what Emma had had planned to do and now she couldn't even do that. She would just have to wait for another chance. With a git like Logan in the house they were bound to clash again and then she would hex him.

Then she nodded in agreement to Xavier before walking tiredly out of the room. This time around she would try to forget what had happened and try her best to ignore Logan. He simply was not worth it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or anyone from the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I'm in no way making any kind of money from this story and promise to return all of them in one piece after I finish with them.

I think it's about time to say that I'm not from an English speaking country so English is not my first language. I do however speak English every day and consider myself quite fluent. There could be some traces of my native language in how I structure sentences but I and my beta try to erase those traces as much as we can.

Thanks to **Coldie** for the reviews :)

And now on with the show :)

* * *

Even when I'm at my worst, I'm best with you

The Rembrandts – I'll be there for you

* * *

The next few days after the whole Wolverine incident Emma was more than a little restless at the mansion. She did her job as well as she could but her mind was constantly up in the clouds wondering if she should leave or stay. Emma wished she could call one of her friends, preferably Hermione, to have a heart to heart conversation of what to do. As that was no possible at that moment in time Emma had decided to talk to Charles. Thankfully it didn't seem that Xavier had gotten any knowledge to why she was there that relived her greatly. He seemed to have more inclined to look into her past to see who she was than actually watching any specific scenes. After that conversation she had truly decided to stay at the mansion.

The professor had been nothing but kindness towards Emma, assuring her that she was more than welcome as a part of his faculty. Charles promised he would not disclose what Emma was until she was ready but tried to make her see that after all she would not be that much different from everyone else at the mansion. Remembering why she was there in the first place, Emma needed to stay hidden and out the spotlight. Being the only "normal" one at the mansion gave her that in abundance. The more time she spent with Xavier the more she liked him, he was a similar type to Dumbledore in many ways and Emma was certain that the two men would enjoy each other companies immensely if they ever got the chance to meet.

The two sparring partners had met each other a few times after the hallway incident, or better yet strike that. They had been in the same room a few times and no matter what Logan did to get Emma's attention she ignored him like he didn't exist. Emma knew that she was probably being very childish but didn't know how to turn the situation around, every time she thought of how Logan had treated her that fateful evening she felt her temper flare. It was a hard thing to forgive when one had a wounded pride, especially when said person was from the house of Salazar Slytherin.

Logan had spoken to Xavier the day after the blast incident and come to the conclusion that they were both at fault; even though he felt he was being very generous by thinking that. However Logan had become quite sorry for scaring the woman like he had but he had lost control of his inner demons. Her reaction had stunned him as he was not used to getting as good as he gave, especially not from a slip of a girl like Emma was.

The witch ignoring him had amused Logan in the beginning. To see Emma go out of her way to disregard him as if he was some kind of a pest had made Logan chuckle on more than one occasion as the other staff wondered what had happened between the two for this reaction to happen. Usually the staff table was a lively place to be during dinners but now it seemed to be shifting unconsciously into team Emma and team Logan. It was a quite unfair thing since Logan had only Hank on his team so to speak as the others automatically seemed to support the woman in whatever thing was brewing between the two.

It started to annoy him when Emma and Scott started to chat together at the dinner table every single night. He had never been able to stand Scooters presence, not even before he knew that the man was attached to Jean. There was just something about him that irked Logan and got under his skin. Watching the new teacher ignore him with such stubbornness and then fawn over Scott did not help matters at all.

Emma and Scott seemed to enjoy their discussion about dreadfully boring topics about mutants and if it was moral to use powers to ones gain. Logan snorted with humour as the witch was perceived by all as a viewpoint of a normal person.

Yeah normal compared to whom he wondered. From where he was sitting Emma was the most abnormal of them all as she had powers that were probably beyond anything he or others at the mansion could imagine. Logan had taken an oath to keep silent about her and what she was. It was not often that Logan gave his word but when he gave his word he meant it. Nonetheless he didn't have to like it one bit, especially when said witch did everything in her power to ignore him.

If the other member of the staff had only known how different Emma was they wouldn't have treated her like a spokesperson of normal. The witch sure as hell hadn't seemed normal when she had thrown him into the wall without an effort, adamantium and all. Emma hadn't seemed normal either when she looked ready to claw his face off in Xavier's office when Logan was taunting her. A normal person would have followed their instinct and staid far away from him when he was as dangerous as he had been that evening. The moody witch seemed to be drawn to him like a moth to a flame. At least she had been drawn to him to seek her revenge.

Logan felt annoyance grow in him as he sat by the dinner table on evening in the beginning of September. The young witch was good at ignoring him but sometimes he caught her studying him from the corner of her eye but quickly looking away every time he stared annoyed back at her.

Damn that witch, she knew exactly how to get under his skin. It was if she had been trained in some sorts of mental warfare. Emma had picked the person he detested the most in the mansion as her shelter against him and that annoyed Logan more than he had been in a long time. Scott of course didn't see what Emma was doing but Logan sure could and her intuition for doing things that bothered him pissed him off. Like that time she had called him a beast, it was as if somehow she knew exactly how to slice him up inside.

First Scooter had had the first woman Logan had wanted in forever and now the witch was floating over him like a fly on shit. Why did this asshole always have to have some word when it came to Logan and the women of the mansion? It was not that Logan had any problem getting women anywhere he went but it annoyed him to have an unfinished business right under his nose every time he tried to eat his dinner in peace. As much as he enjoyed eating, watching Scott and Emma coo over each over made him have indigestion.

It annoyed Logan as he had up to that point genuinely liked Emma and even after the flying incident he had still liked her. He just wanted to sit down with her, make peace and even apologize for his part. From there he would very much like to be friends with her or at least have his presence acknowledged by her. Hell he was the king of no regrets but he regretted having lost her quiet company in nigh time after he couldn't sleep. She had calmed the beast by simply staying around and not analyzing him too much.

After Emma started to ignore him he realized that he missed her, missed her scent in his nose and the gentle smile on her face as she looked at him with her dark eyes burning with interest. Even worse he felt guilty thinking back on the terror he had inflicted by barging in on her like that when she was sleeping. Thinking about it from her side of the fence he realized that it might not be so much fun to be woken up in a middle of a nightmare. What had happened the last time someone had tried to wake him up? Hadn't he almost killed Rogue in the process? Yes he had and it made him feel even guiltier for the reaction he had shown to Emma, he had no excuse but having lost his temper. Simple as that.

The look of disgust she had given him as she exited the professors office had cut him deeper than he had cared for. It had taken hours of crazy killing and rampage in the Danger room to stop him from going back upstairs to her room to strangle her, for what he hardly knew. A bond friendship had born between them on the quiet nights they had sat together after the other residents had peacefully gone to sleep. Logan for one wasn't willing to break that bond as it was not often that he found someone that he liked even a little bit. He was especially not used to find anyone at the mansion that he genuinely liked and he was not willing to give that up.

After dinner he followed Emma as she walked out of the kitchen. The young woman pretended to ignore him but it was very noticeable in her behaviour that she knew someone was tailing her. The witch had tensed up and walked very stiffly as if her instincts were telling her to run. Logan had seen that behaviour before on other people but it annoyed him to see that primal instinct appear in her. He was realizing more and more that he had terrified her that night and perhaps she had not gotten over it.

The very primal fight or flight instinct had kicked in as soon as Emma had stood up from the dinner table. Logan was ambushing her that much she knew after endless attacks from the Slytherins at Hogwarts. The way he was chasing her from the kitchen into the hallway made he want to run in earnest and only the presence of her friends in the kitchen made her calm a little. He wouldn't hurt her in front of Scott and Ororo. Would he?

Logan grabbed her arm when she was about to set foot on the flight of stairs. Emma squeaked with fright half expecting that his next move would be to hurl her into the next wall. She knew he was angry at her but his rough hold of her arm reminded her not too subtly on the evening they had their falling out.

"I need a word with you" Logan mumbled not wanting others to hear him begging Emma to talk to him. The witch turned too stiffly towards him trying to stare him down but failing miserably. Finally she pushed him as if wanting to hear what he had to say.

"Yes?"

"Not here there are too many people listening"

"Right" she replied stiffly after noticing Scott and Ororo pretending not to watch the duo as they stood in the kitchen watching them curiously. Logan was right, whatever score they had to settle was better done in private than with the audience of the staff. If they had learnt something it was that they preformed very badly under audience as it seemed to pull out the worst in their personalities.

Scott and Ororo watched stunned as their usually bubbly history teacher walked stiffly behind the Wolverine to the front door. Logan walked straight out of the door and waited for Emma to grab her coat before slamming the door behind her.

"What was that about?" Ororo said stunned at the display they had watched. She had known something had been brewing between the two, a kind of animosity that she was not used to see at Xavier's. However Emma had mentioned a while ago she had met him and she didn't seem to have any complaints so that made Ororo think that something had happened after that. Whatever it was two weren't telling anyone, it was strictly between the two. Neither Scott nor Ororo had ever seen the two ever talk and now they had left the mansion together.

*******

"Get on" Logan cleared up when Emma looked at him with wide eyes. When Logan had said that he didn't want to talk inside the house, she had thought he had meant somewhere on the vast property of the mansion. It seemed that Logan had other ideas, one of them being making her ride a motorcycle.

"I've never been on a bike" Emma clarified embarrassed feeling very uncomfortable about sitting on something as unsafe as a motorbike. She knew that muggle automobiles were dangerous but this bike looked more than a little hazardous. Logan raised his eyebrows in question before pushing Scott's helmet into her arms.

"Here's a helmet, put it on and then hop on" he said gruffly pushing Emma towards the bike. If their friendship was to have a chance in hell the witch would have to learn to trust him, even when she didn't trust herself. He then sat down, started the bike and waited for her to get ready. Emma finally sat down behind him; he could tell she was nervous by the quick and nervous breathing.

"You better hang on kid, otherwise you fall off" Logan said while killing his cigar on the pavement under his foot. Of course Ororo would have a fit seeing the bud but he didn't care.

Logan didn't have to tell Emma twice to hang on; the witch wrapped her hands around his waist as tightly as she could. Her reaction made Logan grin with humour when he felt Emma squeezing herself to him in fright. Damsels in distress always made him smile and bring out a softer side of him. It made him laugh a little that such a ballsy woman like Emma was terrified of motorbikes.

As they drove off Logan noticed that she had pressed her helmeted cheek as close to his back as possible as to look for protection and her hands were white with the strain of pressing herself as close to Logan's back as she could. He could almost bet that her eyes were closed as well so she couldn't see the surroundings as the motorbike sped by.

At least one thing was certain; Emma was not going to fall off the bike without a fight.

*******

They were sitting at Logan's favourite bar; it was a biker bar with an odd truck driver on leave mixed it. It was apparent how Emma stuck out as a sore thumb in there by the looks she was getting from the patrons who didn't know what to think of the young woman in their midst. However she appeared to be there with one of their own so they didn't bother her like they otherwise would if she were there alone.

To Logan's surprise Emma didn't seem to notice the glances from the patrons or that she didn't care. He didn't know her well enough to guess which one it was. Logan had gotten himself a beer and to his surprise she had ordered the same, he had never seen her drink an alcoholic beverage before. Then again Emma was of legal drinking age and coming from England, the country of lager, it shouldn't have surprised him that much.

After the waitress had left Logan decided to end his torment, he wasn't a small chat kind of man and he had the feeling that neither was she. Emma had been staring at him in silence for a while as if studying his next move; it unnerved him how she could sit so still trying to figure him out just in front of Logan's face. Her dark eyes never left his face but to take in her surroundings ever so often as if she was wary of anything coming her way. Logan could relate to that, he had an autopilot on in his brain when it came to scanning the situations he was in. This reaction came from years of having to watch his back but he wondered why someone as young as her had the same kind of behaviour.

"Look I want to get some things straight. I'm sorry I scared you, I didn't mean to it got out of control like it did_" _Logan said remorsefully and tried to be as sincere as he possibly could. He didn't want to lose Emma's friendship, however he couldn't even say that. They weren't even friends yet. What he really wanted to say was that he didn't want to lose the possibility of being her friend.

"I know it went out of control" Emma said finally deciding to play along. Logan intrigued her immensely, even his darker side that he had shown to her in the middle of her bedroom. After their clash he still fascinated Emma as she never knew what Logan's reaction would be. He could be sweet as a pussycat or gnarly as an angered dragon. That was very refreshing after the stifling air of the magic community where most of the times you knew exactly what would happen because of the protocol in society.

"First of all I want to say I'm sorry for my words. I never meant to call you a beast and I deeply regret it. I'm sorry for the whole wand thing. I didn't know it was you" Emma said waving her hands around as an emphasis on her words. Her dark eyes were focused on him, pleading him to understand.

As a final thought Emma added, "I'm not used to having strange men in my room"

Emma understood that duality of that statement and blushed crimson at the mirth in Logan's eyes as he digested her last was laughing heartily at her reaction and Emma was letting him, which in itself was a good start to their friendship. It was not often in the past she had made fun of herself but Logan pulled out that side of her.

"So we are good, no more ignoring me and pretending I'm not there when I'm right in your face?"

Emma laughed heartily at his words; it was true she had done that. Childish but true. It humoured her even more that he had noticed it and was now poking fun at her. As Emma laughed he joined in, a gruff laughter that suited him very much.

"No more ignoring or blasting ... unless you deserve it of course" Emma said smiling brightly at him. His direct approach had startled her but had made her happy. She had been so used to people hiding their true meaning behind rivers of words that it was refreshing to meet someone that finally just said what he thought. It didn't matter if it was good or bad, she just wanted to hear it straight out.

"Good to hear kid" he said raising his beer for a toast, she clinked her glass to his in agreement.

"Cheers"

*******

An hour later the comfortable companionship was established as Logan had wanted. Emma had the soft look back in her eyes when she looked at him and somehow it made him feel nice to be back in her good books. It had mattered to him to have the young witch on his good side and he couldn't think how far back it had mattered to him what someone really thought of him.

"Let's go kid, it's getting late and you need your beauty sleep"

Emma chuckled before nodding in agreement. She looked thoughtful before asking honestly, "I don't know it is here but can you drive after drinking? I'd hate to end up as a road kill"

Logan laughed openly at that. As far back as he could remember no one had ever wondered if he was too drunk too drive, or too drunk to do anything. As he had thought she had brass balls, it didn't surprise him in the slightest that Emma would be the first person to point out something as obvious as drunk driving to him.

"Regenerative power. I would have to drink a barrel of it to get drunk for a moment" Logan replied pointing towards the empty beers on the table.

"So you are sober?" she asked for verification before wanting to get on the metal scrap that he called a bike. Even though she was a wild child at heart she knew where to draw the line. There was nothing fun or adventurous about sitting at the back of a motorbike if the driver was drunk. Emma was scared to death of that thing and had only gotten on because she trusted Logan to get her home in one piece.

That didn't mean she would have to enjoy the current transportation too much. Emma doubted she would ever like motorbikes; they were far too fast and open for her taste. In an odd way they reminded her of flying on a broom, a sport she had never gotten into for the fear of heights.

"Yep I am. If we are to be friends you have to learn to trust me. I won't do anything to harm you" Logan said feeling all deep and chick-flickey.

Emma studied him fixedly as if weighing his words before giving him a big smile of appreciation and patting him affectionately on the arm. It somehow felt that his words weighed heavier than many others. Logan was not a man of many words but those he said Emma knew that he meant.

"Friends?" Emma said with question in her voice as if she was saying that word for the first time in her life.

"Yes I think I might like that... having a friend"

Emma never thought she would have a friend outside of the magic world let alone someone like Logan. She never knew what to expect from him and perhaps that was part of the allure. He was honest in a very aggressive way. Logan's untamed nature scared her and his infrequent spurts of laughter made her smile because they were real like he was.

In all he was as different as possible from the wizards she had grown up knowing. He was not bound by the rules of society like she had been her whole life and it enthralled her. She had a feeling that being a friend with Logan would be similar to the roller-coaster's she had heard so much of.

Their friendship was doomed to be filled with up's and down's but still destined to be a hell of a ride, one they would never forget.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or anyone from the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I'm in no way making any kind of money from this story and promise to return all of them in one piece after I finish with them. However I own Emma Winter through sweet and sour.

It's the weekend so time for yet another chapter. I have more or less written all the chapters so don't worry about me leaving an unfinished story. My beta is spending time on reading over the chapters and I'm very thankful for that. There are always some errors that one doesn't notice or a certain flow that seems odd and it's good to have a trusted friend to point them out.

Thanks to **Coldie** for being a reviewer from the beginning :)

Thanks to **00 BodySnatcher **as well for a lovely review that stroked my ego heheheh. I had been thinking myself about the italics in the dialogue and your comment verified what I had been wondering. So this time I tried the dialogue without italics, let's see how it is on the eyes :)

* * *

Maybe you got to lose it all  
Before you find your way

Madeleine Peyroux – Don't wait too long

* * *

"Hey what's wrong?" Emma asked Logan as he walked, or rather stomped, into the kitchen as she was preparing to make dinner for the staff and students. She wasn't a great cook so for her weekly dinners she usually cheated and ordered pizza. However this time she was making pasta alla carbonara, a simple but glorious dish she had learnt to make when she lived in Italy one summer trying to discover her Italian side.

"It's the professor. He doesn't want to help me to get to my memories. He said I should be patient! I have been fucking patient for years!" Logan hissed annoyingly as he slammed his fist firmly onto the counter making Emma jump in surprise.

She had never seen Logan so angry at the professor before. Usually Logan looked up to and liked Charles Xavier but their constant bickering about Logan's memories had been taking its toll on him lately. He had become increasingly impatient to wait for the professor to assist him in trying to retrieve his lost memories. No matter how hard he pressed, Charles refused to budge saying that Logan needed to remember by himself.

"Is he the only way you know of that can help you retrieve your memories?"Emma asked hesitantly after silently thinking for a while. She had an idea but was sure that the professor would be very annoyed at her for even thinking about it, let alone if she decided to follow it through.

"Yeah, I can't remember a thing and haven't met anyone who knows me from before. Well that's except for Stryker and he's dead."Logan answered growling and drank a glass of scotch in one sip before slamming the glass angrily down on the kitchen counter. Logan usually didn't drink any hard stuff at the school because of the students and for him to do so this time was a hint at how upset he really was.

The witch wasn't sure she should do what she was thinking; hell Emma knew she shouldn't even consider her idea. The professor had a perfectly reasonable reason why he didn't force Logan to remember; in his opinion lost memory should never be forced for it could have devastating effects on the person. Nevertheless watching Logan's struggle to regain his memories had affected her more than Emma thought was possible. She liked him and their friendship had been blossoming over the weeks since they made peace a few weeks earlier.

Logan seemed so unhappy not knowing who he was or where he came from. In many ways Logan was lost in the world, not knowing his past or if there was someone in his past that he could connect to on some level. Emma couldn't imagine being in his place, even though her memories tortured her she still wanted to keep them. She couldn't imagine living without knowing where she came from or what she had done in her life. In front sat a living example of the torture of not knowing ones actions and it seemed to be a living hell and it pulled at her heartstrings.

Emma turned towards Logan and stared at him deep in thought as Logan held another glass of scotch in his massive hand and chewed angrily at his cigar. He didn't even notice her staring at him as he was too busy looking aggravated out the window and into nothingness.

In a short time Emma and Logan had become steadfast comrades, two loners against the old cliques of the house. They always saved Friday evenings for each other going out to eat or for drinks. It had become a habit that Emma enjoyed immensely, a steadfast thing to celebrate the end of the week with. Emma knew that Logan always got drunk on Saturdays with whatever chick was available but Fridays were always her days and she enjoyed his company more with each passing week.

At the beginning of their friendship Logan's charisma had distracted her beyond words, there was no denying that Logan was overbearingly attractive, a trait he was fully aware of. In time that first impression had disappeared, being replaced by deep respect and affection fuelled by the friendship the two shared. Emma was fully awake that her friend was ruggedly handsome but it was his mind that kept her so interested in him and the friendship he offered so effortlessly to the lonely witch. Logan was well read and his intellect kept her constantly on her toes. He questioned everything in the world, including her without judgement and it helped Emma to grow up quickly in the new world she was in.

"Logan?_"_ she asked him hesitantly not knowing if she should suggest her idea to him.

Emma knew for a fact that both Xavier and Dumbledore would skin her alive and even Snape might sneer at her for suggesting what she was about to. On the other hand Logan was a friend and Emma had always been a good friend of the few she let into her heart. For those dear to her she was more than willing to bend a few or many rules. It was worth it for a friend. A little adventure wouldn't hurt them after all. Emma decided to see it like that, a little adventure to spice the mundane life. Now that wasn't too bad or breaking the rules, right? She would just bend them a little; it was worth it for a good friend. In the end she was certain it would be for the greater good even though the professor would probably flay her skin if he would find out.

It was amazing how much a little brainwashing could do for a person and especially for someone like Emma. She had made a decision but getting Logan's attention to hear her out seemed to be a challenge. Logan was either ignoring her or simply not listening as he continued to look out the window his jaw clenching and unclenching as if he was about to burst with annoyance.

"Logan!" she tried again impatiently waving her hands for attention. Her idea was a gamble and she needed Logan to answer her before she would lose all courage and bail out. Logan heard her this time. He didn't move at all, nothing moved but his hazel eyes that bore into hers. He looked impatient at her for her interruption.

"I know this is not orthodox but... eh... I know this thing that might work" Emma said cautiously feeling Logan's attention hitting her like a ton of bricks. It felt very uncomfortable to be floored by the attentive gaze of Logan especially when he was in such a rough mood. His gaze pierced into her as if he could see into every corner of her soul and that there was no way to hide from him.

"What's the thing?" Logan asked suspiciously not understanding why the kid was fidgeting so much as she stood in front of him. His little friend was trying to explain something to him but her nervous stammering was getting in the way of him understanding her and frankly her stuttering was annoying him.

"...A ... spell called legimens. It could help ... I can't promise it will work but..." Emma said and before she could finish her sentence Logan was off his chair and was standing by her side. Next thing Emma knew was that Logan had crushed Emma against his chest in a rough, bone crushing hug that knocked the wind right out of her.

"When can we start?" Logan asked eager as he squeezed out every particle of air from Emma's lungs in celebration of the happy news.

"Logan ... air." Emma gasped as she tried to struggle to get out of his rigid arms. Hugging was all nice and well but an emotional hug from someone who didn't know his own strength was a different story.

"Oh sorry." Logan answered sheepishly as he let the young girl go and she quickly left his arms. Logan knew well that he had the tendency to squeeze Emma and Rogue a bit too hard when it came to hugs but sometimes he just couldn't help his own strength, especially when he was happy. Now he was happy and extremely hopeful.

Emma seemed to want to add something more as she rubbed her hands together showing her nerves over the topic, her face had a bizarrely uncharacteristic frown as of someone who was judging both the good and bad of a decision. Logan wouldn't let her change her mind, there was no way he would after finally seeing a glimpse of some sort of solution to his problem. He had waited for far too long to get any hope and he wouldn't let Emma get away with backing away from it now, after all she had suggested it.

"The thing is this. I have never really used this spell per se. I have had it used on me though and it's a temperamental spell." Emma told him honestly as Logan leaned attentive soaking up every word she said. Logan would listen to what she had to say and then he would persuade her to go on with it.

"I cannot promise you swift results as it drains my powers to do this especially because I am not completely in control of this magic. I might hurt you; hurt myself or someone else who might get in the way. We cannot do it here in the school that much is for sure because I'm afraid Xavier might skin us alive." Emma said quickly trying to fight against the winning glee in his eyes. She didn't want him hurt but there was real danger that he would be and Emma didn't want to see him hurt by her hands no matter how much she wanted to help him.

"When can we start?" he asked smiling from ear to ear, feeling much better and more positive than a few moments before. Even though Emma hid it well she was wild at heart just like him and together they were more likely to break the rules than any of the other inhabitants of the mansion combined.

"What about Friday? I think it's better to do it when we don't have to work the next day." The young woman said smiling happily surrendering to her own idea.

"Sounds good kid." Logan said giving her a toothy grin before pouring himself another glass of scotch in celebration of the good news.

"One thing though, where will we go? We can't do the spell inside the mansion, Xavier would find out immediately."Emma added with a concerned tone to her voice. There were not many people in the world she refrained from pissing off but the professor was one of them.

"Don't worry I have the perfect place." Logan said shrewdly and no matter how much Emma tried to press him he wouldn't tell her the location.

It had been settled that Emma would help Logan to retrieve his memory and now she simply had to stop worrying about hurting him. Still Emma had a suspicion that she would worry about that until the next Friday; she could only pray to Merlin that she and Logan would get out of the spell unscathed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or anyone from the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I'm in no way making any kind of money from this story and promise to return all of them in one piece after I finish with them.

On a personal note, I just passed 20 thousand words by publishing last chapter. A small victory for me and I'm very happy to have gotten this far, *does a happy dance* Ah I just had to get it out of my system! Now on with the show!

* * *

Seemed like the real thing  
But I was so blind  
Mucho mistrust  
Love's gone behind

Blondie – Heart of glass

* * *

Emma woke up with a startled gasp after one of her reoccurring nightmares. Her breathing was laboured as if she had been running in real and not only in the nightmare. Her body and face were sprinkled with droplets of sweat that showed exactly how disturbing the last few hours had been for her. Emma turned and looked at her alarm clock, it was two a.m. and she didn't feel she could fall asleep any time soon.

The nightmares had been coming infrequently but were filled with struggles and confusion. It seemed the further Emma dug into her own psyche the more extreme her emotions became. Emma stumbled out of bed and headed out of her room, she was headed towards the kitchen for a cold drink while she would shake off the worst of the nightmare from her mind. She decided that she would take a cold shower when returning to her room; it would probably clear her head.

As Emma sat in the kitchen enjoying an ice cream she could hear the TV blasting in the living room. It was not often on in the mansion as most of the inhabitants were too busy to actually sit down and kill time that way. Most of the faculty had their own sets in their rooms so they rarely spent time in the living room with the students as that was considered unofficially their space. Curiously drove Emma forward to see who would be up at that hour of the night. On the way out of the kitchen she grabbed a bag of chips before heading down the dark hallway to the living room.

As Emma entered the living room she could see the dirty blonde coloured top of a young boys head as he sat and watched the large screen television that one of the parents had donated to the mansion a few months earlier. However saying that the young boy was watching was a bit of an overstatement as he skimmed quickly through all of the TV channels, it seemed he was watching all and none at the same time.

"Can't sleep?" the clear voice of the young boy asked as he turned around to stare at her with curiosity. It was Jones, the resident technology protégé; the one who's mutation was connected to electricity.

"Bad dreams, what are you watching?" Emma said friendly as she scooted on the sofa next to Jones. He had never been in her classes as he was one of the few young kids at the mansion. Jones was one of the youngest residents of the house being only ten, the very few young children were mostly taught by the professor and Storm. Jones was unusual for many things but mostly for his age. Usually the mutant gene didn't kick in until puberty but it seemed the young mutant was odd even amongst the unusual crowd that resided at the mansion.

"Everything, I have problem concentrating" The young boy admitted his large eye seemingly even larger because of the thick lenses of his glasses. Every time he blinked his eyes the channel would change making the images rush by.

Emma wasn't that used to television so she focused on Jones instead handing him the bag of chips. He greedily grabbed a handful before handing her the bag back.

"Can't sleep either Jones?"

"I never sleep." The boy answered with such an innocent tone to his voice that Emma couldn't help believing him; after all he had no reason to lie. How could one never sleep she wondered, was that even physically possible?

"Isn't that bad for you?" she asked munching on the chips and looking with interest at the TV. Jones had stopped the channel surfing at an animal TV station and it was broadcasting a rather brutal show about sharks.

"It's part of my mutation, its okay. Professor Xavier said I could watch TV when the others are gone to bed as long as I don't have the volume too loud" Jones said and eating more chips while concentrating hard on the television.

A moment later the great white jumped out of the sea as it attempted to swallow a baby seal that got away. The anchor was excited as he spoke about the wonderful ability of the great white sharks that swam in the ocean by Cape Town in South Africa. Emma shuddered with disgust making Jones giggle with amusement.

"You scared of them?" he sniggered with humour that one of his teachers would be so gutless as to be afraid of something on TV.

"More than a little scared, they are one of the scariest looking creatures in the world. Just look at all those rows of teeth" Emma replied smiling at Jones.

"No they are way cool, just see how it jumps." Jones said clearly impressed at how the huge animal could jump out of the water to hunt seals. The viciousness made Emma wince even though she tried to hide it from Jones. It was nature and the natural circle of life but still the cruelty of the show made her want to change the channel.

"What would you do if you were swimming and would see one in the water?" Jones asked her curiously as to know what on earth she would do and clearly not thinking she could do much.

"I would never be that far off into the ocean that I would ever come face to face with one of these fellows." Emma said with assuredness. There was no way she would ever want to meet a great white shark and its teeth.

"Is it because you're a normal? Because you don't have powers?"

Emma grabbed a handful of chips and stuffed them into her mouth to give herself a moment to think, she didn't like to lie to a child but she had no choice.

"It could be, I never thought about it. You could probably zap it or mess with its brain somehow?"

"Yeah I probably could but I wouldn't want to hurt it. They are beautiful"

"Listen to me Jones, if it ever would come between you and one of them promise me that you would defend yourself. They wouldn't hesitate to eat you for breakfast" Emma said with a sterner teacher tone than she had intended.

Jones looked at her surprised for a moment, his blue eyes scanning her as if looking to find a lack of integrity. Satisfied he smiled at her and replied, "Okay Miss Winter, I promise."

"Good. Can we watch something else? I think I will have nightmares after watching this show." She said smiling ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Sure" Jones agreed and started to zap the channels again.

"Do you mind if I sit here a while longer, I don't feel like walking back to my room just yet"

"Sure, it's nice to get company" Jones said changing the channel one more time.

"Do you get lonely sitting here alone in the night?" Emma asked curiously knowing it couldn't be easy for him to be so young and so out of place.

"It's not that bad. Often someone wakes up and checks on me like you did now. Sometimes I see the X-men fly the Eagle back home and that's so cool."

"The Eagle? Who are the X-men?" Emma asked curiously. She felt a little bad for asking a young child for information but Jones had mentioned something that she had never heard about before.

"Yeah the X-men, you know the teachers use their powers to help other mutants in trouble. The professor is a very nice man and he made the X-men to help the good guys."

"So who are the X-men really? The teachers?" Emma asked curiously having a problem believing that the staff had another job like that. It felt strange that they too had another life that they were hiding from the rest of the world just like she had been hiding her life from them."

"You really don't know anything about them?" Jones asked inquisitively sounding quite surprised as if everyone should know who the X-men were. Emma made a mental note of searching for information about them on the internet the next day.

"No nothing, they probably didn't tell me because I'm not a mutant." Emma admitted sourly even though she had no idea why it had bothered her. After all she had been hiding her past from everyone there but Xavier and Logan. Maybe that was the thing, since Logan was her friend she was surprised that he didn't tell her, after all he knew of her secret.

"The X-men are the professor, Storm, Cyclops, the Beast, and the Wolverine. Sometimes there are other mutants that come to help them but they don't live here at the mansion. Miss Grey was also a part of the group once, also Nightcrawler but he was just visiting"

"Oh right. So they try to do good deeds? Help others like you in trouble? Like mutant police so to speak? The X-men against the bad guys?"

"Yeah but different. The professor is psychic right? And he knows when mutants are in trouble and then he sends the X-men to help. He felt when I was in trouble from my neighbours and brought me here."

"Your neighbours?" Emma asked stunned at how far fear could push people as to call in a small child as potential danger.

"Yeah they called the police and reported me after they realized that I was a mutant. The X-men came right in time to save me before the police came to arrest me and my family." Jones said as if he was describing the weather and not a dramatic event in his life.

"Were you all right? You weren't hurt?" Emma asked concerned. She had heard about the mutant reports from Storm. Normal every day folk were getting more and more afraid of mutants and authorities wanted to register every single mutant in the states. Therefore if anyone would notice a mutant they should call the police to report them.

"No I was okay, I was only six at the time so I have been here a long time"

"What about your family? Were they all right as well?"

"Sure, the professor helped them to move away from our old place. They live now in Montana and I visit them every chance I get"

"You are lucky there Jones, not everyone here have such supportive parents." Emma said seriously. There had been so many of the mutant children who had had problem growing up after their mutant gene had been discovered. Their parents were often terrified of them, especially after the nasty propaganda that had been on the media. Storm was a loud advocate when it came to protection of young mutants and Emma had learnt over the months why the African woman was so passionate about that subject.

"Yeah I know" he answered matter of factly.

"You must have been the youngest mutant to come to this school, the others I have heard of were teenagers by the time they found out that they were mutants."

"Yeah I was the youngest and Miss Grey was real nice to me" Jones said with affection for the late doctor and Scott's fiancée.

"Everyone seemed to have loved her" Emma said thinking of Scott, Xavier, Storm and Logan who were all heartbroken after the loss of the woman.

"Yeah, she was great" Jones agreed settling the TV on an old cartoon that both watched for a while in silence.

"Oi, what was this Eagle you mentioned?" Emma asked suddenly out of nowhere remembering that Jones had mentioned it before.

"That's the airplane that the X-men have"

"Airplane? Where do they keep an airplane here at the mansion?"

"Under the basketball field of course" Jones said rolling his eyes and thinking that the new teacher was not at her brightest in the middle of the night.

"So when I have been keeping an eye on you lot with the professor, the teachers are out on the airplane being these X-men?" Emma said puzzling together why the faculty sometimes disappeared for meetings and other vague obligations away from the mansion.

"Yeah I guess" Jones said less interested than a moment ago.

"I wonder why they didn't mention anything to me, not even Storm or Logan." Emma mumbled to herself.

"They probably were afraid that you were a spy or something. The professor doesn't like us to talk about the X-men to normals."

Emma cleared her throat deep in thought, "won't you get into trouble for telling me?"

"Nah, I think you aren't a spy" Jones said with the strong confidence of youth.

"Why not?" Emma said curiously and smiling at the self-assurance of the young boy.

"Because you don't look like a spy" Jones replied with a child's reason before immersing himself into the cartoon again.

"Right, of course" Emma said laughing and thinking to Severus Snape who had indeed looked like a spy even though he had been a very talented one. She pulled out the blanket that hung at the back of the sofa and pulled it over herself for extra warmth. Emma had gotten much information from Jones. Most had startled her and she wondered if any of the staff would ever mention the X-men to her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or anyone from the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I'm in no way making any kind of money from this story and promise to return all of them in one piece after I finish with them.

I put scenes in legimens in italics. Its easier to differ between now and then that way :)

* * *

Weary blues from waitin'  
Lord, I've been waitin' so long

Madeleine Peyroux - Weary Blues

* * *

Logan had decided that the legimens sessions would be at his cabin away from teachers and students of Xavier's. A few years back when he had just come to work at institution, the professor had offered him a piece of land at the far corner of the property. Charles Xavier had understood Logan's need for seclusion at times and wasn't surprised when the man had jumped at the chance to have land he could call his own.

The cabin wasn't much on the eye but it was remote enough for Logan to get his time away from everyone when he wanted and needed. Working in a house filled with hormonal teenagers could drive anyone crazy, let alone a feral mutant who was not famous for his patience. After working long hours at the mansion teaching the older students close quarters combat the little cabin had become his sanctuary; a place to hide from the world when things became too much.

One of the perks was that no one knew that the cabin existed, no one but Xavier of course since he had provided the land. That was until Logan decided to break his seclusion to tell Emma about it. However the lone wolf was quick to make the young witch swear to secrecy. He would never have allowed Emma to come to the cottage but for the reason that she was going to help him with his memory and needed privacy to do so.

Emma's first impression of the cottage was filled with surprise. She was astonished to see the little, old fashioned cabin hidden amongst the trees on the west side of the property. Granted that Xavier's land was huge and it was not very likely that any of the robust teenagers would ever stumble upon the little cottage deep in the forest.

"Took me a few years to finish it" Logan grumbled as the witch looked around silently. He hadn't expected her to jump through hoops with joy but the kid was surprisingly silent as she studied every nook and cranny of the exterior.

"You really made all this?" Emma asked surprised as she walked closer to the cabin wearing a stunned expression on her face.

"Yep, how do you like it?" Logan asked proudly as he enjoyed the young girl's reaction to his little pet project from a few years ago. He had spent a great deal of time getting the place just like he wanted it to but it had been worth every minute. It was a haven for him, as the residential loner of the house he had needed a corner for himself without being constantly hassled.

"Like it? I love it. It's enormously well made" Emma replied with enthusiasm as she looked at the stacked tree trunks that made the four outside walls of the cabin. As with a classical log cabin the logs overlapped at each corner, giving the little cabin a sturdy, classical look.

The small cottage was handmade by Logan himself, that fact in itself shouldn't have surprised her at all. It was sturdy and made to last for a very long time to come. Even the forces of nature would have a problem breaking down the little log cabin that seemed so in its element in the middle of the untouched forest on Xavier's land.

"The windows are quite large" Emma noted looking at a large window on the side of the veranda that faced large pine trees. Compared to Hagrid's hut this one seemed so much better made and cleaner by far. All the odd animals that Hagrid the half giant used to drag to his hut made the whole hut a bit creepy on the eye and the smell was nothing to be proud of. Logan's cabin was the complete opposite, it wasn't grand but it was clean and well taken care of in every aspect.

It had to be wonderful to sit there in the evening watching the sun go down and having not a care in the world. She hoped that one day Logan would give her the chance to do exactly that. She began to understand why Logan loved this place so much and why he wanted to keep it a secret from the world.

"Kills the insulation, but worth it for the view" Logan rumbled as he opened the door and walked in. He felt a little stupid for explaining to a kid how he liked the forest view, it sounded so impractical and un-him somehow.

The cabin was always unlocked. Logan saw no reason to lock it, there was nothing in there worth stealing and whoever wanted to get it would be more likely to ruin things by trying to break in. So far the little cabin had been a haven of tranquillity for him.

Emma stepped in after Logan and followed his lead in taking off her shoes by the front door. She doubted that anyone would believe that someone like Logan would have been so neat and careful when building the cottage. Everywhere she looked it demonstrated the care of the owner. There was no glitz but the cabin had warmth and friendliness to it.

The living room had a small stove at the back and on a desk next to it was a coffee maker. The living room had an old sofa, two comfortable chairs to match and a small living room table that had a few books scattered on it. A few thick rugs were on the wooden floor and in the right corner was a narrow cot that Logan threw his leather jacket on and pointed at Emma to do the same.

As Emma walked around checking the cabin and its view, Logan set up a fire in the hearth making the small cabin fill with friendly warmth.

"If you need the bathroom it's in there" Logan said pointing towards the only door in the cabin besides the front door.

"Oh you have indoor plumbing?" Emma asked surprised and couldn't help smiling a little at the astounded look on his face. She really thought it was an innocent question but the look on Logan's face told her that he was surprised at her question. She wondered if it wasn't very ladylike to have assumed that the cabin had an outhouse somewhere in the back by the forest.

"Yeah kid, even though I like my privacy doesn't mean I wanna be in a cave. I like my shower in the morning" Logan said defensively to her shock that he actually had plumbing installed. After nights filled with nightmares it was a rare luxury to be able to enjoy a hot shower.

Sometimes it was so noticeable that Emma was not from the same world as he; this moment was one of those. However he didn't have the heart to point it out to her, instinctively Logan knew that she would get hurt by such an observation. Emma had tried so hard to fit into the world of mutants even though a few months prior she had never even heard of them.

The meantime Emma decided not to tell Logan that until very recently most magical households in the western part of the world had not had any indoor plumbing at all, he might not get that impressed with that information. Hell she hadn't been impressed either when she heard it and she had lived most of her life connected to the magical world.

"Right, of course" Emma said nodding understanding by the penetrating stare that he gave her that under no circumstances was she to doubt Logan when in his domain. Frankly she had nothing to tease him about anyway; the little cabin was perfect for their little magical experiment.

"I'll make us a coffee before we start" Logan rumbled and a little while later the sweet scent of warm coffee added to the pleasant feel of the cabin.

* * *

They were seated in the two chairs in the living room and had turned them to face each other. They were sitting so close that their knees were almost touching. Logan had tried not to show any sign of nerves but with every moment that passed he had gotten quieter and it had only worked to make the witch even more nervous than she already was. Emma took her dark wand from inside of her left sleeve making Logan's eyebrows rise in surprise over the location of the wand. She took a deep breath to soothe her nerves before lifting her hand and pointing the wand towards Logan's head.

"Remember eye contact, no matter what's happening. It makes the connection stronger" Emma said before uttering the single word to activate the spell, "legimens"

_Images swirled in her mind. Endless amounts of bars, fights and driving__ towards nowhere until she settled on a surprising memory. It was Jean Grey who Emma recognized from pictures and from stories from Ororo. Emma knew little of her but that was about to change as she watched the memory intently._

"_I choose Scott__" The beautiful red haired woman was telling a broken hearted Logan who had been begging her to pick him instead of Scott. The woman only shook her head in denial and walked away._

Emma felt highly uncomfortable seeing something so personal and in no way connected to what Logan was looking for. She tried looking for something else, hoping to stumble upon something from before Logan lost his memory.

The vision changed again to Logan and Rogue in a car driving in snow. Rouge looked much younger than she did now and her hair was all dark without her signature white lock of hair.

Emma could feel Logan's mind turning increasingly more restless with each try. He was losing his patience and she felt he would try to break the connection very soon if she wouldn't find something that interested him.

She dove in again into his mind and finally Emma reached a memory of two young boys in a forest. They were running from something that seemed to be a group of men. The older boy had a strong grip on the younger one that looked dead sick as he wrapped his red robe around himself.

"_Come on Jimmy. You have to run, we can't stop now." The older one said pushing the other one forward even though the young one looked absolutely exhausted__ as he stumbled in the tall grass. _

"_Just leave me, I can't go any further." The younger one said coughing and trying to grasp his breath after running. _

"_You will continue even if I have to carry you!" the older one hissed dragging the other one as far from the men and the dogs as they could. Finally after what felt like forever they finally stopped the younger boy gasping for air and his knees shaking. _

"_Let me see your hands" the older one ordered and looked down at the knuckles of the younger one. They were swollen and had several large gases on them as if he had been stabbed on each hand._

"_It happened again, the bones..." Jimmy said sobbing and looking bewildered._

"_I'm glad it did, they were gonna kill me Jimmy!" the older one hissed at him and trying to make him understand the danger he had been in._

"_But I killed him, just like I killed..."_

"_Look it doesn't get you anywhere to be always talking about that. We just have to wait for your thing to kick in so you won't be such a runt and then maybe we can think of going south where no one will know us._

"_Alright, I will try"_ _Jimmy said sniffling and rubbing the tears off his face with the palm of his hand. The older one stood up and pulled the younger one with him before running deeper into the forest. Jimmy stood alone for a while as if deciding if to follow the older one or not. Finally he drew a shaky breath and followed the other one, sometimes stumbling over things on the ground in the darkness._

Finally the vision ended and Emma was back on the chair facing Logan. She didn't know what to say to him so she sat quietly for a while looking out the window as to not disturb Logan's thoughts. She could feel the annoyance coming from him in waves. There was no need to look at him to feel that it was not what he had been looking for, he had been looking for answers and instead he got a scene with two children.

"I'm sorry I couldn't see more Logan." Emma said looking at Logan continued to pay no attention to her. She was worried that he was disappointed with her, that she had gotten his hopes up and that now he was upset with her. The man in front of her was unresponsive and seemingly deep in thought.

"Did the memory trigger anything?"

"Nope, don't know the kids." Logan said unable to hide the annoyance from his tone of voice.

"One of them is you Logan. Otherwise it wouldn't be in your mind"

"Who the older one? I haven't been sick a day in my life, at least as far as I can remember" Logan mumbled to himself in thought wondering where the younger one was now and if he was dead.

"I am not the best witch in the world when it comes to legimens but this I know. The scene is played from someone's point of view and this memory was clearly from the point of view of the younger one, the one that was called Jimmy. So at least you know that, you were called Jimmy when you were little" Emma said trying to cheer Logan up and getting his interest by mentioning the name of the child.

"I don't remember ever being called other than Logan" he snorted with weariness, "being chased is nothing new. I have been chased my whole life"

"So you see after all we made a little discovery. This was an old memory from your childhood when your mutation was kicking in" Emma pointed out excitedly and trying to infect him with her happiness. It didn't work though as Logan had obviously been looking for superior answers, ones that he simply didn't get this time around.

"Look Logan. You can't expect me to find all your answers in the first lesson. I'm not that good at this spell and it would need a master of the field to find your answers in only one sitting"

"I know and I'm not blaming you or your magic Emma. I just got my hopes up and now I feel stupid" Logan admitted feeling annoyed at himself for having been so optimistic.

"Perhaps next time we do this you will get clearer answers Logan; there is nothing to say that things won't get better from here. The first legimens lesson is usually the most difficult one" Emma said trying to sound more experienced than she actually felt. She had never used the spell herself until on Logan and she was simply relived that she hadn't hurt him or wiped out the rest of his memory. However she remembered how difficult it had been for her to have Severus Snape poke around in her private memories. Just the knowledge that he was inside of her mind had made her feel dirty.

The experience with Logan was completely different. They were friends and she was there to try to help him find a solution to a problem. Emma was not going into his mind to pry or to find out some secrets that Logan might have stored away to keep away from curious eyes. She hoped that he wouldn't resent her for the legimens, not like how she had resented Snape in the end.

"I need a cigar" Logan mumbled to himself and stood up from the chair heading out of the front door and to the porch outside. He apparently needed some time on his own with his thoughts and Emma was more than willing to give it to him while she pondered on what she had seen in Logan's mind.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or anyone from the world of Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. I'm in no way making any kind of money from this story and promise to return all of them in one piece after I finish with them.

* * *

Tell me something that'll save me  
I need a man who makes me alright

Lady Gaga – Teeth

_

* * *

_

"I don't think I like you seeing my past in all its glory when I hardly know anything about you" Logan said finally after returning indoors and having been quiet for a long time. He scratched the side of his mutton chops and chewed hard on his unlit cigar while studying intently the kid sitting before him.

Hell he never said anything personal to anyone, not even to Rogue who was the closest he had to a child and then the witch was seeing his most personal memories. Even though he shared a friendship with Emma some things were simply too brutal or too personal to show to show to anyone. There were aspects of him that she had no idea of but would probably get to see very soon. Logan didn't remember very far back but he remembered enough to wonder if the kid was ready for the visions she was bound to see.

Some of the visions of his earlier past Logan didn't even remember himself or didn't want to remember. Emma had gotten a crash course in what it was to be the Wolverine and she hadn't even batted an eye. It was if it didn't register with her that he had been responsible for all the killings she had witnessed in his mind. He had no other explanation for her lack of emotion, he had expected disgust, horror or some kind of an emotion that supported that what he had done in his life was considered wrong by every normal persons standard.

However he was starting to wonder if the normal person standard fit for Emma, it didn't seem to fit her anymore than it did him.

The young woman sat deep in thought not saying a word and her face looked concentrated as if she was trying to decide if she should talk to him and if so what to say to him. Logan had studied her intently over the last month and noticed that when she bit her lower lip a certain way she was deep in thought and usually about to say something that she deemed important. He looked sideways at the witch and almost chuckled when he saw Emma staring into space and chewing on her lower lip just like he had expected.

What troubled Logan every now and then was how secretive she was. Emma was almost as guarded as he was; the only difference was that she remembered her past while he didn't. The way she naturally shied away from giving any information about herself or her past made it frustrating to work with her on his own memory.

"Tit for tat?" Emma finally suggested looking considerably paler than she had been a few moments ago. Her stomach was rolling in circles at the implications of sharing things with him. She didn't know if it would be the right thing to do, she would try it once and see how it would go. If the feeling was somehow off she would never do that again.

Emma wasn't thrilled on her idea, that was for damn sure but if it would help Logan to get happy then perhaps it was worth it.

"What do ya mean?" Logan asked sceptically raising one eyebrow in a signature scowl. What the hell did Emma mean? What were they going to trade? What on earth did she have to trade for his life history and lost memories?

"Well you showed me a bit of your past. I agree with you, it's only fair that I return the favour and let you get to know me instead" Emma said hesitantly not sounding entirely convinced of her newest decision.

The beast within him agreed with her wholeheartedly, it was only fair. Logan would feel better knowing some of her past as a weapon just in case of possible hurt in the future. He absolutely refused to give her weapons against him without having something to use against her in return. It just wasn't in his nature to be this vulnerable, especially not against someone he hadn't known for a long time.

"You sure kid?" Logan asked considerably more interested than he had been a few moments ago. He was more than willing to get to know a bit about her background since nobody in the mansion seemed to know anything interesting about her. The only one who surely knew something was Xavier and he wasn't spilling.

"It's fair" Emma nodded as if she was trying to convince herself. She wasn't sure; however it was only right that Logan got to know something about her since she was probing into his head with magic. She would have wanted the same thing if their roles had been reversed.

Trading stories would put the two on an equal playing field and would lessen his resistance when it came to the legimens session. By doing that it would be easier for her to find his lost memories that he wanted so much to get back.

Emma also knew that if she had chosen willingly someone to share her past with then Logan would have been high on her list. A part of her wanted to run out of the cabin kicking and screaming while the other part was happy with the choice of a confidant.

She knew by instinct that he wouldn't betray her. At least she hoped so.

Logan was studying trying to understand the mixed signals that were coming off her in waves. Her eyes were calm pools but her body was not. Emma was clearly upset even though she tried to hide it from him not realizing that one could never hide their emotions completely from a feral mutant.

"Since the theme of your session was childhood I guess I will tell you about mine" Emma said softly trying to sound relaxed even though Logan could hear her heartbeat speed up and watched as she started to play restlessly with a lone curl that was in her face. finally she started her story fixing her eyes on the wall behind Logan.

"My parents were both from the magical world; they came from long lines of pureblood wizards" She said starting her story.

"That means that in a way they never lived in the real world, with the normal people that didn't have magical powers" Emma added as an explanation at the lost look on Logan's face.

"My father was British and met my mother when on holiday in Italy. They immediately fell in love and got the approval of their families to marry within the year. As they came from similar aristocratic backgrounds their families were more than happy with their union of two quite well off families. My parents were only twenty when they became Mr. and Mrs. Winter.

As being pureblood wizards there was a burden on their shoulders, especially my fathers. Many of the pureblood community believed in getting rid of all muggles from the wizard community. Muggles were people who were born into normal families and then grew up to have magical powers. A very strong wizard had made a secret community within the pureblood world to get rid of wizards from this world, the so called mudbloods. That word was and is the worst derogatory word you can use of someone coming from the muggle world. I have myself seen it used a handful of times, always been repaid in some way back because of the severe insult it implies.

As my parents were both from pureblood families it was expected and encouraged for them to participate in the secret community in some way or another. From what I gather they never did anything to hurt anyone but they had been working as spies at the Ministry of magic for a while before I was born.

My parents had been more and more reluctant to do this as they were working with many muggles and many of them became their steadfast friends. They looked for a way out but it was unheard of to leave the group that later became known by the horrible words Death eaters. It is still today the worst category a wizard or witch can fall into and a one that makes most terrified of you instantly.

Finally my father, Edward, decided to talk to his old headmaster from the time he was studying to become a wizard. This school is called Hogwarts and is one of top five wizard schools in the world. The headmaster had known my father since he was eleven years old and had first enrolled into the school. Dumbledore was the headmasters name and my father went to him pouring out his heart. He told him he was unhappy, that he wanted to get out and what should he do to get him, his wife and future child into safety.

He admitted that Seraphina his wife was now pregnant with their first child and they had taken a collective decision to leave Voldemort's troops in protection of their unborn child"

"That was you?" Logan asked lighting his cigar and listening with curiosity to her. Emma had been more than willing to give him the story after starting and the world she told him about was like a parallel universe. It was surprising to him to hear that it had even existed on the earth he knew.

"Yes that was me. My mother was only a few months pregnant when Dumbledore helped them to get away. They left the magical world, took up other names and were relatively happy. They lived like muggles, had me and lived for a while quite comfortably albeit in hiding.

The attack on them was made when they were driving home one evening. I was being baby sat by their elderly neighbour, whom they had no idea was an old witch, a friend of Dumbledore. He had bought the house next door for her so that he would always hear if there were something out of the ordinary happening at my parents house.

My parents were found in their car and the police never understood what had happened. The car was parked by the road and they were dead. No trauma was on them, they simply looked sleeping. Now of course Aurors, who work as magical policemen, were alerted to my parent's death by my neighbour. They concluded that it had been the killing curse. They never found the perpetrators but of course there was no doubt what group had done it"

"And you?" He asked gruffly chewing on his cigar and taking a large swig of his beer. Emma looked as if she didn't even know that she was crying, or that her voice cracked in some places if the story showing her distress.

"Mrs. Ashbrook, who I always called auntie, raised me from that time. I was three when I became an orphan. The will of my parents declared Dumbledore my guardian until I would come of age at my 18th birthday. There was no way for him to have me at the school as my existence was to be a secret for the time being until he would decide what to do with me. He could not have me but had Mrs. Ashbrook do that. She was more than a dear friend of his, she was a cousin of his and he trusted her above most to raise me.

She raised me in a small village in Britain. My childhood was from that point on quiet and uneventful. Exactly what Dumbledore and my parents had wanted. I personally would perhaps have opted for a little bit more action but my childhood was above else safe. When my magical abilities started to come into light Dumbledore and Mrs. Ashbrook were delighted. I never understood that there was something different with having magical abilities until I spoke to the muggle children at the playground and realized that none of them was like me. From that moment on I realized that I was different, not only me but also the people that were my now family.

Dumbledore and Mrs. Ashbrook decided I would go to Hogwarts at my eleventh year as all magical children do. It had been verified that none of the Death Eaters knew of my existence. That was my shelter so the only thing that Dumbledore did was to change my last name into Ashbrook while I was a student there.

And Dumbledore visited me regularly when I was a child. I knew him by the name uncle Albus. I loved him dearly as I did Mrs. Ashbrook but Dumbledore knew how to get the love of a child. He showered me with sweets every time he visited and in return he got hugs and kisses from a child that was desperate for any kind of love and affection.

When I was twelve Mrs. Ashbrook passed away quietly in ripe old age of one hundred eighty. The age never surprised me until I found out that muggles were considered lucky to reach the tender age of eighty. The magical community usually has at least a twice as long lifespan as a normal person. Dumbledore had me watched but didn't tell me he had been my legal guardian until just minutes before my 18th birthday. That was the year of my graduation and I had no idea what I would do with my life after that.

Dumbledore decided to offer me a teaching position at Hogwarts. Since I had been raised around muggles, none magic folk, Dumbledore thought it was a great idea that I would teach magic people of them. As a person with personal interest I could perhaps lift the stigmata of the muggles and show the wizarding community that muggles are just like us.

So I had a strange education as a child. First I went to muggle school and then when I came home I heard stories of unicorns, fairies and other magical beings. I got as much the best of the two worlds as they could possibly give me."

She looked at him curiously, "you know I have never told anyone the whole story, just snippets here and there"

"Tit for tat eh?" he asked. She was right; it was fair that they would know of each other like that, it somehow made the whole thing a little less painful. She had indeed had a different upbringing from the children that were raised at Xavier's and elsewhere but it made him understand her better as his memories made her see him in a new light.

"Yes it was a trade and now we go to have a drink. How does that sound?" she asked smiling wanting to shake of the chains of the past that laid heavily on her heart after going so many years back in time.

"The drink sounds great" Logan admitted looking at her grinning teasingly.

Emma laughed_, _"I thought so"


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** is at the beginning of the first ten chapters

* * *

And if you go chasing rabbits

And you know you're going to fall

Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar

Has given you the call

Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit

* * *

Emma's mind had been in overdrive ever since she had spoken to Jones about the X-men. She had decided as soon as she heard of them to go talking to Xavier but prior engagements had stood in the way of her giving herself the time needed to sit down and talk to the professor. There had been more and more annoyance building in her system ever since she had heard that there was a whole secret operation under the mansion.

It wouldn't have bothered her as much if she had been a student and not in fact a member of a very small faculty that worked on the educating the kids. Secondly everybody seemed to know, down to little Jones about every single thing that happened in the house and she was kept in the dark. She was so tired of it.

At Hogwarts Dumbledore had always kept her and the trio in the dark, never giving them any information unless after everyone else knew. The excuse then was that they were too young to be caught up in the whole mess that was brewing in the magical world. The problem was that in the end they ended up fighting in the first line of defence and with less information than they should have if everyone would have been honest with them.

So with pent up annoyance from years of standing in the dark Emma stormed to Xavier's office and knocked not too subtly on his door.

"Come in" he said and as Emma stormed in he stared at her in surprise. The usual good tempered witch seemed to be in a foul mood.

"Professor" she said stiffly before sitting herself down and tapping her foot impatiently on the floor as if she was mere seconds from blowing up.

"What can I do for you on this fine day?" professor Xavier asked cheerily as if he didn't notice the steam that was coming out of her nostrils making her rather resemble an angry bull readying itself for a fight.

She snorted ironically before answering, "I heard a rumour that I would like to clear with you"

"What could that be?" he asked curiously.

"X-men" she more or less hissed.

It had been no secret after looking up the X-men on the internet. Thankfully Hermione had taken Harry, Ron and Emma to internet cafes to learn about the internet. Finally Emma had learnt to use it even though everything about modern technology was annoying to her as it was to most wizards and witches. Emma had immediately found the X-men; it had not been complicated at all as they were quite well profiled.

She had seen all of them with just a few clicks of the mouse, all the staff dressed in rather unflattering leather outfits that didn't leave much room for the imagination. There was no way that they would ever fit in anywhere dressed in those things and above all they looked highly uncomfortable.

"Ah yes, the X-men" Xavier said knowingly and staring at the witch in a new light. He had planned on telling her along time ago as it had been decided at a staff meeting to let her know. The faculty knew that the chance of Emma knowing about their secret identities was very likely and they rather wanted to tell her than for her to find out the wrong way.

Now it seemed that the professor had to admit to a mistake, Emma had gotten to know their secret the wrong way and she seemed extremely miffed about the whole situation.

"Is that really all you have to say?" she asked coldly feeling her temper getting worse with every second.

"You invade my mind, find out everything about me but don't tell me about this but find it oddly convenient to have me babysit while the so called X-men prance around in their little outfits saving the world"

Xavier blinked a few times in surprise. Nobody had spoken to him like that, not since he and Eric had been friends. Her sarcasm was slathered with more sarcasm as she managed to make fun of him and the entire staff in one sentence.

"Would you believe it if I told you we simply forgot?"

Her eyes unyielding glare suggested she didn't quite see it that way.

"Forgot last Sunday when everybody had some dumb excuses to leave the mansion but you and I?"

"I had other things on my mind at that time. We had a mission to accomplish" he replied drily.

"Yes I read about it, Chicago, the Brotherhood and a person who calls herself Mirage" Emma growled, "honestly professor, I can get better information on the internet than by talking to you"

Xavier sighed, he knew Emma had every right to feel put out but her reaction was a little bit too dramatic considering the reason.

"Why is it that you are so angry about this Emma?"

"Everywhere I go people think I'm either too young, too innocent, too much of an outcast to ever know what is going on. Nobody ever tells me anything and their excuse is always that they are protecting me. From what I have no idea. It's patronizing and very insulting"

"We had a staff meeting a month ago where we voted that you would get to hear our secret. The staff decided to trust you with this since you babysit for us during the missions after all. There is a war out there, we need you to know what is happening in case the mansion is attacked while the X-men are away" Xavier said seriously trying to make her understand why they needed her to know.

It wasn't simply for just the knowledge but there might come a time they would need her power to protect the young ones. There had been an attack on the mansion shortly before Jean had died and even though Xavier had done his best to heighten the alarms there were of course some things that simply could not be prepared for.

"Attack? On children?" Emma asked shocked feeling a shiver of foreboding run up her spine as her anger disappeared. The professors words had reminded her too much of Hogwarts a few years ago. The Death Eaters had had no qualms about attacking young children so why should this Brotherhood or others have any problem with attacking mutant children.

"Yes we had intruders last year. They took many of the children captive and were going to do studies on them to find a cure against the mutant gene"

"Didn't the government protect you?" she asked disgusted and starting to feel guilty for her outburst.

"They were the government" Xavier answered irritably hoping she would understand the seriousness of the situation. It seemed that Emma did as her face turned white as a sheet and her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"You have seen that happen before?" he asked his voice filled with understanding. He didn't have to be physic to recognize a posttraumatic disorder when he saw one. The visions from her mind had showed him a bloody war where many were killed, including many young children.

"Yes" she whispered her mind going back to Hogwarts three years ago when hell had broken loose on the school grounds.

"I have seen it before, our government was also involved" she added meaning the Ministry of Magic that had been under the Death Eaters that had been in return under the control of Voldemort.

"Then you know how essential it is for us to try to keep the young ones safe, if we don't then who knows how the future will be"

"I understand Xavier but how can so few try to do so much? The X-men are too few to do what is needed"

"We are very few and lost a lot when Jean died but we try. Rogue and Bobby have been training with us and also Piotr and Kitty. We expect them to be full members of the X-men when they graduate. They will need the time until then to practise as much as possible and to hone in on their powers"

"How do you practise them? It must be hard since they all have such different powers" Emma guessed thinking of Rogue's dangerous skin that could kill anyone within seconds.

"Everything we need is in the cellar. Perhaps its best I show you as it gives you a better oversight over our operation" the professor said friendly seeing that the conversation had affected Emma deeply. Even though he was sorry for all that she had gone through in her life he was still happy that she had the experience. Every bit would help them and perhaps her magic touch could give them an upper hand.

"All right" Emma agreed with him and followed him to the hallway and into the elevator. Instead of pressing any buttons the professor waited for the elevator door to close before saying aloud, "the cellar"

Only a few seconds the elevator stopped and they walked out of the elevator to a floor that Emma had never been on before. The walls were white, the floors grey tiled and everything looked so sterile like being in an empty hospital.

"The staff is in the Danger room practising that's why the halls are empty" Xavier said friendly as if they were taking a walk in the garden and not in a highly confidential place wanted by so many mutants.

"Right, it's a bit ... bare"

Xavier smiled and pointed at a white double door.

"This is the emergency. We have everything in there, a fully functional operation room and equipped with whatever gadgets are needed to make an operation, save lives and whatever else is needed. In a place like this we quickly found out that with so many mutants an emergency room was needed as we couldn't always explain the injuries in hospitals"

Emma nodded understandingly. How many times had she and the trio ended up at the infirmary at Hogwarts? Uncountable times, if mutants were as accident prone as witches and wizards then Emma guessed that Hank was in for a busy life as the residential doctor.

"This is our school motto" Xavier asked pointing towards a silver platter on the wall with a Latin inscription engraved onto it.

"Mutatis mutandis?" Emma asked Xavier.

"Yes, it simply means the necessary changes having been made" Xavier said smiling at the school motto that he and Eric had chosen back when they founded the school for gifted youngsters. Eric had found the Latin phrase amusing as it pointed out subtly who occupied the school.

"Referring to the X-gene?" Emma asked with a quirked eyebrow at the irony.

"Amongst other things" Xavier said mysteriously before pointing towards the next double door that was a bit further down the hallway.

"We had a school motto too back at Hogwarts" Emma said smiling and thinking fondly on the memory of the school emblem.

"What was that?"

"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus or never tickle a sleeping dragon" Emma said grinning widely at the stunned professor who had momentarily forgotten that the young woman next to him was not of the known world, at least not the world he knew.

"Well yes, I suppose that is a good advice" Xavier murmured deep in thought.

"Oh yes it is, they are terribly grouchy if angered, especially the Hungarian Horntail" Emma answered as if dragons were real and it took a moment for Xavier to understand that for her, dragons were indeed as real as mutants were to him. After a few moments of awkward silence of his behalf they finally saw another door further down the hall.

"This is the danger room where most of the team practises their skills and also where Logan sometimes takes his class in close quarter combats. There is only so much that the students can learn by practising on each other, sometimes the best way to learn is to fight a real enemy"

"What do you mean a real enemy?" Emma asked curiously.

"There is a program we use when in the Danger Room, a holographic reality of such. The students and the faculty can train in real like situation without the danger of getting injured. As the training goes to a higher level so does the holographic program to ensure that no one gets bored or doesn't feel like they aren't being challenged."

"So they all fight an enemy that is not really there but in a holographic reality" Emma questioned surprised not fully grasping the modern day technology.

"Precisely" Xavier nodded in agreement before adding, "Would you like to see it?"

"See it?" she asked suspiciously not too thrilled about being shown parts of technology that she did not understand.

"Yes, the X-men are practising now" Xavier said his eyes twinkling teasingly at the suspicion in the witches face.

"Very well" she agreed stiffly as her curiously got the best of her.

* * *

A while later Emma and Xavier were waiting in the hallway for the staff to return. The exercise was over and they were waiting for the group to finish getting cleaned up. Emma was deep in thought digesting what she had witnessed in the Danger Room. The X-men were formidable, all in their own way. Logan was vicious but so was Storm just in a completely different way. Hank had surprised Emma a lot with his Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality. When in combat Hank McCoy really changed into the Beast as he was known as. Knowing of someone's power was completely different from actually watching it in action.

They were good, more than that, they were excellent fighters and it showed with the fluidity of their movements. Nothing was haphazard like even though Logan seemed to piss Storm off when he took matters into his own hands. However that was to be expected with Logan's wild nature and it was obvious that Xavier expected that from Logan as he did nothing to reprimand him.

What had amazed Emma the most was the muggle technology that the X-men used. The creatures seemed so very real as they moved around in the Danger Room making the staff work hard for their pay checks. The four students hadn't been there as they had their own training session at other times.

Finally the small group walked towards Emma and Xavier that were waiting by the elevator. Both of them were greeted warmly by the X-men even though a few surprised glances went to Emma.

"I have an announcement" Xavier said with his strong accent, "Emma came to me today asking about the X-men and I decided to fill her in on the secret"

"Are you sure about this professor?" Storm asked quietly looking apologetically at Emma when she noticed the young woman's face harden in anger.

"It was not fair to have her work so closely with us and not include her" Xavier said with a fatherly voice to Storm who looked indignant. The African woman had always been known for her strong headedness but Xavier never hesitated to stop her when he didn't agree.

"Welcome on the team" Logan said as he lit a cigar and ignored the irritated look from Xavier who detested smoking at the mansion.

"It was about time Xavier, it was uncomfortable to lie to Emma" Hank said smiling broadly and flashing his immensely long fangs at Emma who smiled timidly back.

"Yes, she was not happy at all" Xavier said before winking at Emma who had the decency to flush crimson at the professor's words before hurrying into the elevator where most of the group had assembled.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** is at the beginning of the first ten chapters.

Thanks to my ever faithful beta for tolerating my endless fixing of the chapters.

Reviews don't have to be long or detailed but are very much appreciated :)

* * *

Oh jealousy look at me now

Jealousy you got me somehow

Queen - Jealousy

* * *

A roar of a bike took Rogue from her thoughts and she walked to her bedroom window to check where the sound was coming from even though she recognized that sound anywhere. As she expected it was from Scott's bike that Logan usually took without asking every time he needed it.

There was Logan speeding off from the mansion with the history teacher at his back glued to him as if she were a band aid. Rogue frown got deep as she saw the casual way the two seemed to be bonding. It irked her more than she was able to admit to herself. Only a few hours earlier she had suggested to Logan that they would go to the movies to watch whatever film he wanted. He rebuffed her saying he had other plans and gave no explanation.

Rogue didn't need a reason; everybody at the mansion knew that Friday evenings were date nights for Logan and Emma. No one knew if they were getting serious but it annoyed Rogue that there was no way to get Logan to change his plans, not even for her who had known him longer than anyone in the mansion.

She stared after the bike as it rode away, her mind in turmoil.

Rogue had been getting increasingly more agitated towards Logan and his attempts at ignoring her. It was not that he wasn't sweet and kind to her when they met; the problem was that they hardly ever met at all anymore. She knew that since Bobby had come into her life rather unexpectedly a while back no one in the house had taken it seriously, not even Logan who knew her the best of anyone in the mansion.

His first comment on the odd pair had been to speak aloud concerns that Rogue knew most people had wondered and been too polite to ask. Logan had wondered how they could consummate their relationship for Rogue's mutation wasn't under control at that point. It was true that they could barely kiss the first year of their relationship. However with the professor's help Rogue had finally been able to learn to control her treacherous gift. That was a huge burden off her shoulders.

Even though she knew that Bobby adored her more than anything in the world it did not do much for her ego when he had started unconsciously to flirt with Kitty. The girl was Rogue's roommate and a dear friend to Rogue. That friendship got strained as the flirting continued from both sides. Rogue had done her best to ignore the whole situation as she knew that Bobby still loved her more than anything else in his life. He had admitted to her later that the only reason he had been remotely interested in Kitty was because she was as normal as a mutant could be. Kitty had been able to control her mutation from very early on, that and her bubbly personality made her popular with the boys of the mansion.

When Rogue finally announced to Bobby and her friends that she had control the relationship mended instantly. He never flirted with Kitty again and the course gad been deliriously happy for a long time. Kitty had been shocked at first but had finally found happiness with the Russian resident of the mansion called Piotr.

Although Rogue was very happy with Bobby she had never gotten over her puppy love of Logan. Even though the much older mutant had never treated her anything other than as his daughter Rogue had often wondered how it would be if the two of them had ended up together. She tried as hard as she could to ignore the times that Logan had flirted with Jean in front of everybody at the mansion. Rogue could understand why he had been infatuated with the red haired doctor. Jean was like perfection, everything she did, even the most mundane things, we done with grace and integrity that Rogue would never possess.

Only thing that Rogue had despised about Jean had been when the redhead had told Logan about her schoolgirl crush on him. One day, a while before Rogue started to date Bobby; Logan had started to distance himself from Rogue. He had become constantly busier and never having time to hang with Rogue like he had done the first year at the mansion.

At first Rogue had said nothing hoping that it was phase that would blow over. However after time it became shockingly clear that Logan's distraction was there to stay. Rogue had suspected Jean of opening her big mouth and had confronted her on the issue.

After some time Jean had admitted to hinting to Logan that Rogue had some feelings to him. There the teenage girl had her confirmation and after that she tried her best to put up a mask that everything was good in the world and she never showed Logan any reason to wonder if her feelings were more than that of a daughter.

She had thrown herself into a relationship with Bobby as to forget Logan. That hadn't worked; neither had she expected it to, not really.

After the new teacher had come things had become increasingly more difficult for Rogue to get any time with Logan, even getting him to the movies on Sunday evenings was void as he spent them relaxing after being out all the weekend.

Rogue had quite like Emma Winter when she had started at Xavier's. She seemed down to earth kind of woman, quite young and very strict when it came to schoolwork. She expected nothing but the best from her students but instead she was more than willing to help them with assignments and other things that interested the group.

The positivity flew out the window when Logan started to get interested in Emma. There was no way that Rogue could ever be friendly with the new teacher after that. Even though she tried to hide her animosity from the woman Rogue still felt like Emma knew her feelings.

She would try to get Logan to give her more attention, if that didn't work she had no idea what to do.

Rogue almost jumped out of her skin as a well-built arm snaked over her stomach and held her tightly to a muscular chest. A kiss was planted on her check and the scent of Bobby aftershave filled her nose.

"Want to come to the movies with the gang?" he murmured in her ear after noticing how deep in thought Rogue had been lately. It was time to try to cheer her up. Being alone and moody wasn't a good thing for her, she needed the company of her fellow mutants.

Rogue turned around and kissed Bobby quickly on the lips before answering with her southern drawl, "sure, let me change clothes and then we can go"

She walked with a smile to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. As she washed her face she tried to forget the images of Logan and Emma driving away from the mansion. It was impossible as it hurt her straight to the core.

* * *

A few hours later Emma and Logan were standing on the veranda of the cabin. They had finished their session and nothing new had come up. It seemed that Logan suffered from survivor's guilt over Jean's death as her last moments popped up again and again in his mind. It made him feel impatient but Emma tried to assure him that it was perfectly normal that those things that were on one's mind would come up in a session like legimens.

Still the two friends were happy, happy to help each other and happier that they were spending this time together to get to know each other outside the walls of the school. Both of them struggled with strong urges of restlessness that seemed to quieten a little when they visited the cabin, it had become a little haven for Emma and that had surprised her immensely.

"I wanna have a smoke before we head home" Logan said as they stood on the veranda.

They sat for a while in silence staring at the sundown. Both of them were deep in thought and for a while they didn't say a word until Logan finally commented.

"You smell differently after using magic" Logan finally said thoughtful while chewing on his cigar and watching her blush crimson at his words.

"I smell?" Emma squeaked surprised feeling self doubt creep into her words. She brought one sleeve of her sweater up to her face and smelled it to know if it had any funky smell. It was nothing unusual, no body odour, just a strong scent of Logan's cigars.

Logan laughed aloud watching Emma be so uncomfortable about something that came as natural to him as scent.

"Don't get paranoid; scent is part of my thing. My senses are heightened"

Emma looked at him curiously and then the question was out before she could stop it.

"How do I smell then?" She looked at him eyes wide before becoming completely mortified for having asked. It got even worse when Logan raised his eyebrow at her as if he were making fun of her.

"Stupid question" Emma mumbled embarrassed when she saw his eyes twinkle with laughter at the nerves she showed because of a perfectly normal question.

"Nah it aint" Logan said and she actually saw his nose twitch as he inhaled deeply through his nose. Emma stared at him in shock; he was actually checking her scent. Then she felt her vanity kick in when a part of her hoped that she at least smelled fine.

"Cinnamon, you smell like cinnamon. When you use magic it gets much stronger" Logan said smiling a toothy grin at her before continuing looking towards the horizon and smoking his cigar.

Cinnamon, that wasn't too bad, it always reminded her of Christmas at Hogwarts. Her expression become softer and she smiled tenderly into the night.

A while later she said, "I don't have a strong nose like you but you have a Logan smell. Cigars and whiskey"

"Doesn't surprise me much kid" Logan said lifting his glass of whiskey and grinning as he took a sip.

Emma didn't know why she was being so chatty that evening when Logan was not in a chatty mood but the next sentence out of her mouth was, "So eh, what is your thing?"

"What thing?" he asked not understanding what she was talking about.

"The gift, mutant thing?" Emma tried to explain hoping she wouldn't insult him.

"I know about claws and something about metal but I really haven't seen anything up-close"

"Gift eh? Been spending time with 'Ro?" He asked mockingly, Ororo was famous at Xavier's for her gift speeches. Something that Logan cared little for.

"A gift is something you can return" he said resentfully to the young woman sitting next to him who didn't seem to understand the hatred he had for his mutant powers.

"Sorry Logan, I didn't mean to..."she tried to apologize. It was a tender subject for many mutants but it seemed that Logan had many unresolved things attached to his past including numerous things connected to his mutation.

"It's ok, don't worry. I heal and I have these. I guess you have seen them before" he said referring to their session as three huge blades came out of the knuckles of his hand.

Emma didn't say anything but Logan felt saw her body twitch with fright at the sight of his metal knifes. Hearing about the blades and actually seeing them was two completely different things. Even as she had been digging through his memories it had felt surreal, seeing the claws come out without any effort on Logan's part was another matter entirely.

"That is not organic is it? You couldn't have been born with these" Emma asked while unconsciously reaching her hand towards to blades as if she wanted to touch them. That was before she saw Logan shift as if in alarm obviously not comfortable with her coming near them.

Emma stopped her hand from reaching out and had it drop down to her side.

"Chuck agrees. He said I wasn't born with them. All my bones have this metal on the outside"

"Oh" was the only reply she could muster.

Every bone in his body? How was that even possible? Emma realized that Logan had to be incredibly strong just to be able to stand, let alone fight like he did with the metal pulling him down.

She twitched again seeing the blades retract into his arm again with a sound of metal rubbing against metal.

When she saw the wounds heal in seconds she was stunned. This time she didn't think but grabbed his hand and stroke the knuckle where the wounds had been. The only evidence were little drops of blood indicating that something had happened.

"Does it hurt?" she asked curiously seeing him grin at her amazement. She was like a child; experiencing things she had never thought were possible.

"Every time" he said before gently taking his hand out of her grip and finishing the drink in one sip ending the discussion.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or any of the X-men. The same can be said of the wonderful world of J.K. Rowling . I am in no way making any kind of money from this story and I promise to return the characters just the way I found them.

* * *

"Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike; each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little." ~ Buddha

* * *

"_You will all be transferred by ship to New York and shipped forward from there to where the colonials will need you. Be strong, be brave and if you die be sure that you didn't sacrifice your lives in vain but in honor of the king of Great Britain?" The general yelled leaning on his nationalistic pride floated through his speech to the young soldiers._

_Hundreds of men replied in agreement and lifting their muskets with attached bayonets up towards the heaven in a youthful battle joy of the young that were far too inexperienced to know much about death or how battles could kill any and every part of someone's humanity._

_Amongst the young men was Logan and beside him was another young man who looked to be around twenty five even though his old style mutton chops, so similar to Logan's, confused the viewer into thinking he was older than he was._

"_You sure we ought to be doing this? Fighting for the Brits?" Logan asked the man next to him and showing how torn he was on going to war._

"_What does it matter who we fight or how? What matters is that no one will know us down there." _

"_We'll be like ghosts, like we never existed" Logan said mournfully seemingly uncertain of what a good idea it was._

_The general shouted out an order and the army started walking towards a large ship that was docked waiting to ship the young men south towards the war zones. The two men put on their tricorn hats and started walking slowly towards the ship. Their gear seemed quite heavy as they walked with the muskets, swords, daggers and provisions towards the ship._

"_Jimmy. There is nothing for us here, nobody wants us or have you forgotten that it took us twelve years to get to this place." _

"_I know Victor but war? Haven't we killed enough people already?" Logan asked doubtful._

"_Best place for us is war. If we kill someone it's a good thing. We are animals and killing is what we do best" Victor said with his matter of fact logic that didn't give much room for arguments._

"_I'm not an animal!" Logan growled and saw the glee in Victor's eyes when he heard that the younger man was close to losing his temper._

"_Sure you are you just don't know it yet" Victor said slapping Logan's shoulder companionably as he barked a malicious sounding laughter._

_

* * *

_

Logan was not impressed with the memory of the younger him and Victor Creed He was agitated and didn't even realize the deep growl that came from his chest. He might not have noticed but Emma sure did and decided to get up and make coffee as to distract herself and hopefully him.

A while later the cabin filled with the unmistakable scent of very strong espresso being made.

Emma put the usual mountain of sugar in her coffee and none in Logan's as he detested sweet flavors. Then she walked back to the chairs and nudged Logan to accept one of the two cups. Logan grabbed the cup and silently gulped a large sip of the black liquid.

"Oh yuck, what the hell is this?" He spat as the very strong coffee burnt its way into his stomach. He slammed the cup down on the table and eyed the witch with anger.

Emma looked back calmly and trying in vain to hide a smirk that was on her lips.

"Double espresso."

"What?"

"It was double espresso, thought you needed a distraction"

"Distraction yes, liquid mud no thanks" he said sourly and noticed that Emma had a hard time hiding her amused grin.

"What's so funny kid?"

"Do you realize that you're over 200 years old? Probably more like 250 years old I would guess" She asked fascinated by Logan and his mutant powers that had kept him so young and healthy all that time. It was such a shame that he didn't remember his past.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Logan asked annoyed.

"You were going to fight in The American Revolutionary War. The Brits needed assistance against the rebelling troops of the colony. Of course it was not based on kindness but on politics as every man who fought for the British government were promised a healthy slice of land on their return"

Emma realized she had fallen into her teacher mode when Logan's eyes seemed to glaze over with sheer boredom to her story. In that aspect Logan didn't differ that much from his students, as soon as history was shoved down his throat he looked half dead.

"Look, never mind. What matters is that you and that Victor were friends in arms in The American Revolutionary War."

"His name is Victor Creed."

"Oh so you know him? He's alive then? That should make this easier for us to investigate."

"No."

"What do you mean no! This man is the only link to your past and you were bloody lucky to see him there." Emma ranted excited not noticing the thundercloud that was gathering over Logan's head.

"I think you should try to find him, don't you think so?"

Logan bored his eyes at her hoping the witch would shut up before he would lose his temper. It was too late as a little burst of annoyance escaped and he slammed his fist on the table making the coffee cups jump off the table and fall down on the floor where they broke. An uncomfortable silence ensured while Logan tried to reel in his temper and Emma tried to hide her surprise.

"I take that as a no then," Emma said finally pointing with her right foot towards the broken cups.

"I won't talk to him and nothing you say will change that," Logan said stubbornly.

"Right, I got it. There is bad blood between you, we will find anotherway."

"Tell me your memory, I need a distraction," Logan suggested not wanting to think about more about his past and how it tangled with victor creed.

"I was thinking of showing you this time. Hang on…" Emma replied and reached for her backpack. She dug around for a while before finding what she had been looking for.

She put a little bowl on the table and pointed her wand towards it, "Finite Incantatem." As soon as she did that the bowl changed into its original size that was very large and would never have fit into her backpack without being shrunk down.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's called a pensive. I retract a memory and put it in the pensive. We stick our heads in and watch the memory as if in a muggle cinema. While there you can talk to me and you can leave the memory at any moment if you feel uncomfortable."

Emma touched her wand towards her temple and then pulled it away slowly towards the pensive. To Logan's surprise something silvery came out of her head and followed the tip of the wand to the pensive. The gray material swirled around in the bowl as if it was tremulous water.

"That's the memory?"

"Yes, I think I did that correctly. If not we won't do this again."

"You've done this before?"

"I have seen a memory in a pensive once before," Emma replied hoping he got the hint that she wasn't an expert on all things magical. Most wizards or witches never had to use a pensive in their lives so Emma wasn't too embarrassed about not being too used to memory spells.

"All right, let's do it," Logan said and Emma nodded in agreement. She grabbed his hand and walked to the table where there pensive was.

"You have to stick your head in the pensive. Like this," she explained and dove her head into the bowl. For a second Logan stared at the scene in front of him in surprise before shrugging his shoulders in defeat and following the witch's instruction.

As they entered Emma's the memory, Logan saw instantly a much younger version of Emma as she walked unsteadily down a dark corridor. She was alone and her arms were filled with large, heavy books. So much so that Logan could not see the lower part of her face as she walked slowly down the corridor. A scruffy looking cat slowed her down as he was constantly wrapping itself around her legs and purring. Emma stopped and looked around for a place to put her books down so she could give the cat the attention it craved.

Logan turned to Emma who looked distressed watching her younger self.

"You were a cute kid," he said teasingly and grinning at her as they walked slowly as to match the pace of a younger Emma who staggered under the heavy weight of the books that she was carrying. The older Emma ignored Logan's jibe and looked highly uncomfortable as she looked down the hallway.

They saw the young girl froze dead in her tracks as she noticed three boys come walking down the hallway approaching her. The cat hissed and turned running away in the other direction as if it knew this encounter could only end badly.

Logan felt a growl form in his chest when he saw her cat raise its hackles and hiss at the newcomers. He agreed with the animal that something bad was about to happen.

"These boys were a part of my house. The blonde one is Draco and the other two are Crabbe and Goyle," Emma explained shortly before looking at the scenario that was taking place in front of them.

"Mudblood," was the greeting that Draco snorted out as they walked closer to the girl who was struggling with her books. It was obvious to Logan that they were up to no good, it was verified when the older Emma took a step behind him as to not see what would happen next.

"You are spending too much time with the Gryffindor. Why on earth anyone would want to become a friend of Hermione Granger is beyond us. Stop it or you will get into a world of trouble," the blonde boy ordered her as if she was a servant and not a student of Hogwarts.

"Goyle," Draco said and one of his goons as a command that Emma didn't understand as she stared at them wide-eyed as if in a state of shock.

Goyle didn't spend any time for pleasantries as he walked directly up to the child Emma and punched straight in the face and smirking as he did so. A loud cracking sound echoed in the hallway making Logan sick to his stomach. He had heard that sound often enough to recognize it anywhere. That boy had shattered her nose in one punch of his pudgy fist.

In an instant Emma dropped all the books and they scurried across the hallway with thudding sounds. Draco's laughter echoed through the hallway as the young girl stared at them with a startled expression on her face as blood started to pour from her broken nose.

Logan turned to the older Emma and growled at her_, _"Why did they do it?"

Emma replied with a hollow voice, "They thought I was unworthy of being in their house. They were teaching me a lesson, hoping I would quit school."

Logan snarled with annoyance, he might be described as many things but hitting females was not something he condoned. He walked up to little Emma and tried to touch her on the shoulder. He thought he wouldn't be able to touch her but it still startled him when his finger cut straight through her as if she was a holograph.

"It won't work, but I appreciate your concern," Emma said behind him and beckoned him to step from the memory of her past.

"Get her," Draco said and the two goons ran to her and punched her to the ground.

They kicked her until the child was hardly conscious and then Draco called them off when he heard sounds from the other end of the hallway, "let's go before Filch comes or that blasted cat of his."

The three guys ran down the hallway and away. The two friends stood silently watching Emma's memory as it became a little hazy because of her state. The only sound they heard was little Emma's laboured breath as she struggled in and out of consciousness.

"Why the hell are we still doing here?" Logan asked agitated. This was the last place he wanted to be to watch a child being tortured without being able to help at all.

"Because that was not the end of the story," Emma answered stoically looking towards the other hallway as if she was waiting for something. A few moments later a happy chatter came down the hall and Emma looked at Logan with a gloomy grin tugging at her lips.

"Enter the golden trio," she murmured to him and stepped closer to the wall away from the corridor as if to give the trio in her memory room.

Logan looked at emma with question in his eyes and then down the hallway wondering who this trio were. In a few seconds three kids came clattering down the hallway and they looked to be in a row.

"Harry, we might be expelled for this!" a young girl with wild brown hair said scolding the boy next to her. The boy, Harry, who was wearing large glasses for his slim face didn't seem to mind her worries in the slightest as his jaw was set in a determined way.

"No one will know 'Moine, we will just sneak into Snape's storage room and get the boom slang skin and then..."

A red hared boy who had been walking next to Harry stopped, "bloody hell, what in Merlin's name happened here. Look"

The trio stopped dead in their tracks staring at Emma who was struggling to be conscious on the cold floor. The scene didn't look good with the books scattered all over, blood on the floor and the obvious beating the young girl had gotten.

"Merlin! That's Emma!" the girl gasped before running to Emma to help her wipe the blood of her face and see if she could get her to sit up. The boys walked carefully behind uncertain how to react.

"She's a bloody Slytherin 'Moine," the red haired boy said looking at the girl like she was trash. Logan felt his chest fill with a loud growl at the boy's words. This behaviour was no different from the other goons only a few moments earlier.

Hermione turned around her eyes blazing, "Ronald Weasley! If you will leave her here I will not help you with the pollyjuice potion!"

The two boys looked at each other as if they were having a silent dialogue. The dark-haired boy looked longingly down the corridor for a moment before looking at Hermione and asking, "What do you want us to do?"

"We have to get her to the infirmary, Ron collect her books!"

* * *

The vision faded. Emma and Logan stared at each other for a moment before walking to the veranda where Logan lit a cigar while he thought about what he had seen. It seemed that in many ways the magic community wasn't all that different from the normal world. Those that were different always had to suffer, it didn't matter if it was Hogwarts or Xavier's.

"Who were the golden trio as you called them?" Logan asked curiously. He thought that asking first about the kids would ease his way into more serious questions.

"They were from another house called Gryffindor. Hermione had been sitting next to me for a while in some of the classes. We fit together intellectually even though she was a far better student than I was. Her ambition was and is amazing.

We started to hang out together all four of us after the attack from Draco and his friends. It validated me in a way in the boy's eyes that I was hated by the Slytherins; it made it even more appealing to befriend me. Dumbledore did his best to keep his distance from me as to not get me into further trouble with my housemates. That left me with no parental figure until I was eighteen when Dumbledore finally admitted openly that I was his ward. From eleven to eighteen I really had no one but the trio to keep me company. They were steadfast friends and still are today" Emma said with affection thinking of her quirky friends from school. They had grown up together as if they were siblings and she was happy she had gotten the opportunity to get to know them all. It was one of the things she looked forward to when returning back to Hogwarts, a meeting with the trio and Ginny.

"What happened to the bullies? Where are these guys today?" Logan asked curiously hoping that they had paid for their actions as he was more than willing to kick their asses if they hadn't. Even though he knew intellectually that Emma could most likely take care of herself as a grown woman, seeing her as a child and being bullied had pulled on his heartstrings. He didn't know where need to protect the child in the memory came from nor did he need to analyze it further. It was enough for Logan that the feeling was there, Emma was now under his wing.

"One of the bullies, Crabbe died during a huge burn during the final battle. If not for the trio Draco and Goyle would have gone the same way but the trio were good enough to save them and that was an act of mercy. I thought that was highly commendable of them after all the shit the Malfoy family had put the three of them through in the past years."

"How were they punished for attacking you in the hallway?" Logan asked not liking the stern expression that quickly came over Emma's face. Something hadn't gone the way she had wanted with the punishment of the three boys.

"They weren't. The potions master was the head of our house and he chose if punishments were given out within his house. Snape declared that there was not enough evidence against then for them to be punished so they walked away without a scratch or any burden to their name. I'm sure you will see Snape in one of my memories later, I think you will understand everything clearer after seeing what kind of a person he is." Emma answered knowing full well that Logan would probably detest the bat of the dungeons, everybody did at first glance. Severus Snape did not have an appealing aura about him; in fact he did everything he could to drive people off. A hidden talent that was very efficient.

Logan frowned at her words; the little shits would have killed her given the chance. No wonder the kid had trust issues after going through all that in her childhood, he was more surprised that she wasn't more fucked up than she was.

"How could your guardian allow it?"

"I never understood it personally even though I eventually did forgive him. I did not understand how he could look at my state and simply decide to withdraw twenty points of each of them. I presume he thought I would get into even more of a trouble if he did something but I think he was blinded by Snape as well. Whatever the potion master told him was the right thing and it didn't matter who became collateral damage in the meantime."

"You were just a kid and not some card in game," Logan growled annoyed as he bit down hard on his cigar. What kind of people were these wizards to treat orphans as if they meant nothing. Even though Logan was sure that this Dumbledore had meant well it had come out harsh and uncaring.

"True, I was only twelve. The good thing was that the trio found me. It sealed our friendship in a way I guess. They had learnt not to trust any Slytherins but there I was one of them and still being tortured because they thought I was a Mudblood."

At the confused look on his face Emma quickly added, "A person of non magic parents. Something that is not allowed in the Slytherin house, well not set in stone, however deeply frowned upon.

After the beating I got in the corridor it became an endless game of revenge from both sides. The first revenge came from me naturally. I was not as violent as them in the vengeance; I spiked the pumpkin juice that they drank turning their hair pink for a week. That was fun times. Hermione of course offered to make the potion for me as we often sat together in classes. Draco and his goons suspected me but had hard time pinning it on me.

One New Year they took a revenge on me that almost had me killed."

Logan stared at her in a quiet disapproval at her words.

"What?" she asked calmly as he eyed her angrily not understanding what kind of a life it was for a child to be in the magical community. The mutant kids had it rough but Xavier would never have allowed the violent behaviour under his nose that Emma seemed to have had to suffer under at Hogwarts.

"That time they tried to kill you? You say it like it's no big deal, like something like that happens every day to children," Logan growled not used to anyone speak about death in such a casual way. It seemed that the magical community had gotten a bit too desensitized to death as they spoke about it as if they were talking about their dinner.

"That is what Slytherins do best my friend. Boundaries have never stopped us and it always ends up with someone getting hurt. It usually is just a matter of time before each of us has to fight for their existence within the group."

"Barbaric society you come from," Logan muttered as he drank his scotch and conveniently ignoring how barbaric he could become when he went berserk.

Emma smiled at him gently almost flattered that he found it in himself to be so protective of her. She hadn't had many people in her life who had felt any need of protecting her from harm and Logan was a welcome add-on to that small group.

"Anyway, Draco and his friends sent me into a lair of a werewolf. Now usually the said werewolf was a sweet and wonderful man, it was just during full moon that he turned into a monster if he didn't get his potion. That time he hadn't. I got a false note that I thought was from the trio and I hurried there one evening to meet them. Little did I know that my friends would not be there and instead a nasty looking werewolf would try its best to eat me for dinner.

I managed to get away with my life by squeezing into a small crack in the cellar of the Shrieking shack. That was the name of the place where my teacher went when the wolf came out. When he woke up the morning after as a human he saw blood all over himself and on the floor of the cellar. After a while he found me unconscious inside the crack of the foundation. Thankfully he had not managed to bite me but I had deep scratches after his claws after he had tried to peel me out without success. He brought me straight to the infirmary where Madame Pomfrey patched me up. I almost had a subscription to one of the beds in her infirmary while at Hogwarts.

But yeah, thankfully Remus got me there on time because I was about to bleed out. Thank Merlin for magic medicine because without then I would be one eyed at the moment and half of my face completely unrecognizable.

Unfortunately that attack was the reason why said teacher had to resign. The word got out and parents were terrified of having their children in a school where such a monster was at large. I felt very sad when he stepped down because he was one of the finest teachers I had ever had."

Logan didn't say anything and just stared quizzically at her with an expression she didn't understand.

"What?"

"Werewolf?"

"Yes" she nodded not understanding his question nor his surprise at the mentioning of werewolves. To her they were as normal as griffins or giants.

"Are you saying that werewolves exist in real and not just in stories and films?" Logan asked sceptical even though he knew he should know better than to doubt her words. There was a part of him that just wanted to laugh at her story and brush it off as bullshit but he knew that she was telling the truth. There was a whole other world out there that he had no idea how worked.

"Oh yes," Emma answered enthusiastically, "Most of the magical creatures you have read about are real. They just are usually hidden from the non-magical people."

Logan had to ask, "Unicorns?"

A warm smile came over Emma's face at his question, "yes they are very real and extremely beautiful. Very rare mind you."

Logan huffed, how on earth could he reply to the discovery of unicorns? Laugh at her sarcastically? Probably not, the witch had temper and her wand was too close. He knew that making fun of where she came from would probably end up in him being blasted and he was not in the mood for it. Instead he opted for silence as there was really nothing to say.

Emma giggled to herself and shot her glace sideways to him before giggling again and flushing quite unexpectedly. Obviously something she was pondering had embarrassed her. He had to ask what had caused this unexpected mirth from her behalf.

"What is it kid?"

"Then again you would never get near one," Emma said crackling up with laughter and putting her hand over her mouth to try to kill the wicked laughter that erupted from her chest as she looked at the confused face of Logan who had no idea why she was in such a state of laughter.

"And why not?" he growled annoyed at the exclusive witch humour that was taking over his little friend. It annoyed him when she was like this because he had no idea why she was laughing or if she was laughing at him.

"Because they only approach virgins," Emma replied and cracked up again at the surprised look on Logan's face.

He glowered at her and her strange humour for a moment before replying, "Then I guess they wouldn't come to me"

"I guess not," She replied smiling broadly at him and winking clumsily to hint of all the embarrassing memories she had accidently stumbled on during legimens sessions. Logan couldn't help it he smiled back. The little witch had a wicked sense of humour but was one of the few that dared to tease him. For that alone he would be her friend as long as he could or until he would do a runner like he usually did.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** In short - getting no money so please don't sue me. I don't own Harry Potter or X-men, but if you want to give me something I would like Wolverine for Christmas :P

I put Logan's memories into italics because otherwise it was too much of a mess. I hope thats all right with everyone :)

* * *

All the lonely people, where do they all come from?

All the lonely people, where do they all belong?

The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby

* * *

It was Friday and Emma was exhausted after teaching the whole week. The teens had been unusually rowdy and it had drained her to try to have some sort of control in class. She wanted nothing more than sleep for the entire day but knew she had to meet Logan later on that evening. As she sat in the kitchen making a sandwich Logan came looking for her.

He smiled at her and grabbed half of her sandwich for himself knowing she wouldn't get too angry at his familiar gesture. Emma still surprised him with a punishing slap on his hand for stealing her food but instead of getting her food back she got a possessive growl as he bit hard on the bread.

"Hey kid, can we meet up tomorrow night instead. I was thinking of meeting this chick tonight, she can't tomorrow," he asked munching on the bread.

"So the big bad wolf has a date?," Emma snickered at his reaction to her words, he actually blushed. Not very noticeably but he looked slightly uncomfortable at her words.

"Nah just drinks and who knows," He tried to explain without telling the kid that it was basically just a fuck.

"Sure it's not a problem to postpone it until tomorrow," Emma said feeling quite tired and wanting nothing more than to get to bed and sleep.

"You wanna come and have a drink with us?" He asked her feeling guilty for breaking their plans. Emma stared at him stunned after the invite.

"You just told me that you were going on a date and then you invite me to have a drink with you and your... friend?" Emma asked stunned, there was something really wrong with his logic. Was it just a mutant thing or a Logan thing to invite a co-worker to go meet his flavor of the day?

"Yeah why not? She won't care,"he answered not understanding the big fuzz over nothing. He was just inviting Emma along because he felt guilty and didn't see anything wrong with her coming along for a drink.

"But I will care. Buddy I refuse to be the third wheel and anyway I'm in desperate need for sleep," She said trying to explain shortly why women never enjoyed being a third wheel, not even her. Not even as friends did women enjoy being a third wheel, it was an unspoken rule for most groups to avoid those situations.

"All right, your loss," he mumbled not getting why the kid was getting her knickers in a knot over coming with him and the chick to grab a few beers. He would then send Emma on his way before heading off to the cabin with the chick.

"See you tomorrow and have fun tonight," Emma said smiling to him before heading towards her room and showing no interest whatsoever in going out with Logan and his lady friend.

* * *

The day after, on Saturday evening, they were back at the cabin trying yet again to crack Logan's memory open. Even though Logan remembered some vague snippets from his past after the legimens sessions they were never enough to tell him anything of importance, at least not in his opinion and Emma had learnt not to push him too hard. He would tell her when he was ready, or at least she thought he would.

"Remember to try to clear your mind. The more you try to hide something the more likely it will be the first thing I will stumble on," she said hoping that it wouldn't be too bad. However the sheepish look on his face made her get suspicious what she was about to see. Logan had been preoccupied all evening and she wondered what his mind would show her. She wasn't surprised when the first memory she encountered was of Logan kissing a gorgeous red hared woman that was dressed in the xmen outfit.

"_Women marry the good guys," the woman said giving him a soulful look._

"_For you I could be a good guy," he said stubbornly to the red haired woman standing in front of him and looking at him with large, green eyes that looked so dreadfully sad at that moment._

_The woman just shook her head, it was obvious she had chosen and it wasn't Logan. _

_The memory shifted and the next thing Emma knew was that Logan was standing in the __Blackbird that was the private plane of the X-men. _

_As she looked ar__ound she could see most of the X-men all dressed in their leather outfits that meant they were on a mission. As she looked around she could see Ororo, Scott, Logan, Xavier, Bobby, Rogue and a blue skinned man that Emma didn't know._

_Ororo was trying to start the __Blackbird and let out a frustrated sigh as nothing seemed to work, "it won't start, I have tried everything."_

"_Where's Jean?" Scott yelled frantically sounding extremely upset._

"_She's outside," Xavier replied worried as everyone watched Scott running to the back of the plane trying to get out to his fiancée._

_Emma watched in fascination as the lights turned on and the Eagle started up._

"_She won't let me out!" Scott roared trying to rip down the door of the airplane with his bare hands._

_Xavier seemed in a haze as he started to speak and it only took a moment for Emma to realize that Jean was speaking through him, "it's for the best. Goodbye."_

_Emma watched Logan's reactions with curiosity as he tensed up and stared at the door that Scott was banging on. He looked as if he too wanted to break down the door to get the woman that was sacrificing herself for the greater good. _

_The eagle lift up by its self as an enormous wave came crashing into the valley from the damn. The crew looked with shock as Jean disappeared into the water. The shouts of shock were drowned by the roaring sound of the Eagle as it burs__t up into the air carrying the X-men into safety. _

_The looks of pure horror on Scott's and Logan's faces showed her the horror of the two men and made her realize that there had been strong feelings involved from Logan's side. That and probably a lot of guilt for not being able to help the woman he adored. _

When Emma returned Logan was not impressed with her seeing one of his most carefully protected memories, "that was stuff I remember. I didn't need to see that."

Emma didn't quite know how to answer to him as he looked as if he wanted to pick a fight with her finally she answered as diplomatically as she could.

"You tried to hide it, that's why it came up," she said tiredly feeling emotionally spent after watching Scott's fiancée disappear like that.

"It's not something I like to relive kid," He said gruffly before leaving the cabin to chop some wood with his bare claws. Emma had a feeling it would be quite a while before he would return. Meanwhile she could decide on what she would show Logan to come anywhere close to such a painful memory.

* * *

A few hours later Logan finally returned to the cabin having blown off steam and feeling a lot calmer. He had been embarrassed to have the kid see that side of him, the side that grieved over the loss of a friend so much. Logan was certain that Emma thought he was heartbroken because of a loss of a love but it was not that. He was heartbroken of having lost a dear friend. He had adored Jean from the first time he met her, to him she had been everything a mutant wanted to be. She was beautiful, in control and filled with justice when it came to the mutant world.

As he looked around in the cabin he couldn't help but smile. The kid had gotten tired of waiting for him it seemed and had laid down on the sofa. Her peaceful face showed that she was deeply asleep as she hugged a pillow at her chest. He hadn't expected that he would stay out for so long but had been thankful that Emma didn't find a need to talk to him while he was letting out some steam. It seemed the kid knew instinctively to leave him alone when his mood was aggressive and for that he was more than happy to have her around.

After getting himself a strong cup of coffee he walked to where Emma was laying. After making sure that her wand was sufficiently far away he shook her awake. He had not wanted to get blasted again by her, not now when they were getting so close.

She woke up with a start but calmed down as soon as she saw it was Logan. After their friendship had developed as it had she knew she would never get afraid again by being woken up by him. He was quickly becoming one of the most important people in her life. His friendship was helping her loosen the chains of the past and for that she would be forever grateful.

"Hey kid, I didn't want you to spend your night on the sofa," Logan said quietly.

Emma stretched and looked out the window, it was pitch black and she wondered how long she had been sleeping.

"What time is it?"

"Midnight," he said as he handed her a cup of coffee that she was more than happy to accept. He had even remembered to put half a mountain of sugar into her coffee and she smiled with appreciation at him when she felt the strong sugar flavour mixed with the thick burnt taste of the coffee.

"So what you want to do now?" Emma asked as she sat up properly. "Do you want to go back to the mansion or go out for a drink before we head off to bed?"

"I'd like to head off for a drink after we watch one of your memories," he said decisively and saw a look of surprise coming over Emma's face at his words. Obviously the witch had not expected him to want to see any more memories tonight.

"You are surprised that I wanna see your memories," he stated as he watched her sipping her coffee.

Her best efforts of controlling her wild mane had been void as the curly mass had escaped the rubber band that had momentarily kept it out of her face. Logan couldn't help smiling as Emma stubbornly tried to brush the dark curls out of her face with an annoyed scowl on her face. He had never met a female that seemed to be as annoyed at her hair as the young witch was.

"Well yes I am surprised," she murmured shyly not wanting to have a fight with him over what they had seen. She knew it was a sensitive subject and was worried he would blow up to get some steam off.

"How come?"

"I thought you had had enough of looking at old memories for one night. You seemed more than a little uncomfortable when you scurried out of here before earlier this evening," she pointed out honestly hoping that he wouldn't take it a bad way.

"It's never fun to watch people die Emma. You might be too young to realize that but I'm not. I have watched too many good people die and Jean was a very good woman that didn't deserve to die like that," Logan said in more of a lecturing tone than he had intended.

Emma felt a spike of annoyance at Logan's words. What the hell did he know about if she had seen people die? She had lost her parents at an early age and it made her more than qualified to realize that it was no fun to lose someone close. The other deaths she had seen in her life had only intensified that feeling and watching Logan being all high and mighty made her want to say something she would regret.

Logan watched Emma with surprise as he felt her temper flare at his words. Her eyes had narrowed and she was actually eying him as if she was about to say something spiteful.

"Just say it kid," he pushed her wanting to know what was bothering her. Logan was not one to play games, let alone with women as he never understood them.

"Fine. I think age has nothing to do with pain or loss but I'm not going to sit here and compare battle scars over something as trivial as that," she spat angrily at him hoping he would bite on the angle so they could just get their frustrations out yet again by having an explosive argument like they did at least a few times each week.

This time Logan decided not to for one simple reason. He was far too curious to see her memory to ruin it by fighting with her. He draped one arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him.

"Come on Emma, let's not fight," he said feeling her body tremble with unsaid rage. He knew there were many emotions pent up inside of her, many things she had to come to terms with if she ever was going to live a happy life in the future. Logan instinctively knew that helping her with her past was the key to the anger subsiding. The two had found each other for a reason and working on their troubled pasts seemed to be the biggest reason for their ever growing bond.

"I would really want to see what memory you prepared for me," he said kissing the top of her head to soothe her as if she was a young child. The anger seemed to fly out the window at his action and she seemed to melt into his embrace giving up the anger for a softer emotion.

"It's nothing as dramatic as your memory, I'm not in the mood for more drama for one night," she said apologetically looking at him affectionately. She really loved the big brother figure that sat next to her squeezing her with all his might.

"That's fine with me, I could do with a little less drama tonight," he chuckled and agreeing with the kid who seemed to be struggling with the most difficult temper he had ever seen since himself.

"Good, this one is about the time Dumbledore threatened to kick me out of Hogwarts," She said smiling at the memory and at the surprised look on Logan's face.

"What? You were a rebel?" he asked feigning surprise and looking at her with humour. It was funny to think that the strictest teacher at Xavier's had been a rebel not too many years ago herself. Emma snorted at his words, if Logan only knew how bad she had really been as a student he wouldn't have been making fun of her like that.

"I tried to rebel a bit and did quite a good job of it most of the times," she replied smiling before standing up and walking to the pensive. Emma quickly retracted the memory and pointed at Logan to come to watch. He quickly stood up and grabbed her hand in his and together they stuck their faces into the silver swirl of the bowl.

* * *

Emma was in an office talking to that old wizard again and this time they seemed to be in his office. She looked deflated as the old wizard was scolding her in a fatherly way. It was obviously unusual for Dumbledore to scold anyone let alone his ward who looked chest fallen at the stern look on his face.

"Now you have collected yet another detention, more than Harry and all the Weasley's combined in the whole history of Hogwarts. That is quite an achievement for a witch your age, I'm sure your parents would be very proud of how you are throwing your education out the window," Dumbledore scolded her as he knew exactly what words would make the young witch feel the most guilt, the most humiliation for not behaving like her guardian wanted her to.

She blushed crimson and started playing with the collar of her robe clearly wishing she was somewhere else.

"Let me see here, I'll read some of the comments of the faculty to you. 'Not delivering assignments on time, fighting with students, fighting with a member of the faculty.'"

Emma snorted at that and mumbled something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "Idiot Snape," before shutting up at the stern look she got from Dumbledore.

"This is not funny young woman," he said seriously as if she was on trial and he was working for the prosecution.

"I have noted that you have a serious problem with authority, any authority even mine. Are you so unhappy with us?"

"No Dumbledore, it's not that."

"What is it then?"

Emma seemed to be fighting with tears before finally mumbling almost too low for Dumbledore to hear. "I'm lonely Albus, I miss Mrs. Ashbrook. I miss having a family. Harry, Hermione and even Ron have become like a family to me and even though I get into trouble with them it's still so wonderful to be a part of a family again."

"Oh my dear," Dumbledore said looking sadly at her."I realize that you must have been feeling lonely since Mrs. Ashbrook passed away but there are only a few years until you will be free to do whatever you wish. We the faculty have tried to keep you as safe was we can but you have been making it almost impossible for us with your antics. How on earth are we supposed to keep you safe, or as safe as you can be surrounded by Draco Malfoy and the Trio?"

A ghost of a smile went over her face at the mention of the trio; she really loved those three Gryffindors. Other Gryffindors she didn't care about that much but those three were steadfast friends.

"If not for the trio I would be alone Albus. They are my only comfort in the world and the only family I have."

"Is it that's why you are so willing to take the blame for them when you are caught breaking the rules?_" _Dumbledore asked as if he knew already. There had been no secret in the faculty room that Severus Snape was furious with Emma for all the point deducting she was responsible for.

"Yes, after all why not? The Slytherin house hates me anyway so why not give them something to really hate me for," Emma replied stubbornly like someone who didn't regret their actions and didn't have any plans for a change of pace.

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his beard deep in thought, "Severus Snape is not happy with you Emma. You realize that you are single handily running the chances of the house of ever winning the house cup."

"I don't care and I couldn't care less about Snape. He is a greasy git,"Emma answered quoting Ron as one of his more lively descriptions of the potion master slipped out of her mouth. She knew she had stepped into it when Albus Dumbledore stared sternly at her.

"Emma I cannot tolerate this kind of talk in my office. No matter how much you think he deserves it he is still your teacher and head of house. Do you realize that Severus could ask me to fire you from Hogwarts? That if he gets support behind him I might be forced to do that?"

The young witch seemed to pale at the words of her guardian.

"I had no idea Albus. I don't want to leave here; I wouldn't know where to go or what to do."

"Can you at least try to make an effort? I know it's typical for teens to rebel but I would hope it's out of your system now. At least try to stay more under the radar as muggles say. Don't take the blame every time you or your friends are caught out of bed after curfew."

"It is, as long as I don't have to leave the school and I won't have to stop being friends with the Trio," She said assuredly at Dumbledore. If she could have the people that were teh most important to her in her life she would be fine. She would fly low as Dumbledore had asked her, at least she would fly lower.

"Good my dear. I'm glad that's settled,_"_ Dumbledore said smiling fondly at the teenage girl in front of him. He looked as if he wanted to discuss something else but at the last minute he seemed to change his mind.

As an afterthought he added, "Lemon drop?"

Emma nodded smiling and reached out for the bowl he had nudged in her direction.

The vision faded.

* * *

They were back at the cabin and standing by the pensive. Emma looked to her side and grinned at Logan. He laughed at her mirth; she looked much younger when she smiled like that. Unfortunately it happened to rarely that she let her guard down like that.

"That wasn't too bad," she chuckled at the old memory of her old teenage angst that had usually been quite uncalled for and had gotten her into many more sittings with Dumbledore before her education had finished at Hogwarts.

"No it wasn't too bad at all," Logan replied studying Emma with curiosity. He had been concerned having her come to his cabin to work on his mind but it had worked out better than he had hoped. She was actually giving him some answers and didn't seem ruffled when she saw his cage fighting, bar brawls or when he was hunting women.

"That Snape guy seemed to ruffle your feathers quite a lot as a kid," Logan asked as he remembered him mentioned another time in Emma's memory.

Emma's eyes got darker and the mirth left them, "you have no idea. Perhaps one day you will see the reason why I dislike him so."

"I'd like that," Logan said honestly. Getting to know Emma was like peeling layers of an onion. Every time you thought you were at the core it was a mistake and yet another layer waited ready for peeling. Logan waited for Emma to get her things and walk to the veranda. It had become a habit of theirs for him to have a cigar before they left the cabin. Sometimes Emma had a cigarette as well even though lately she seemed less interested in them and more interested in chatting about what they had seen.

Logan locked the cabin and then took his typical seat on the porch beside the kid. He was getting more and more used to her scent in his nose. The strong cinnamon scent that was constantly at the cabin was no longer annoying him when he came there alone; it reminded him of Emma and a friendship he really was starting to take pleasure in.

"Why did you decide to tell me of your past? Some of it seems to be painful stuff for you to tell," he said after a while. He had wondered that question for a while and the look on Emma's face showed that she had expected him to question her on it.

"Tit for tat remember?," she said defensively and seeing at once that he simply knew her too well to buy her bullshit. That was one of the perks of their friendship; Logan would never buy any of the lies that she would easily get away with in the company of others.

"Right kid, sure," he said rolling his eyes at her bullshit. She really should have learned a long time ago not to lie to the Wolverine that was like a human lie detector. He was quite certain she knew but her wild nature made her try her boundaries every once in a while to see if this time she would get away with it.

"In all honesty, I think I needed it off my chest. The stories were festering inside of me making it almost impossible for me to move on."

"Stuck in a rut?,"Logan asked knowingly and raised his eyebrows in surprise as Emma reached out for his cigar. She took it and drew a deep puff before handing it back to him. It seemed that some discussions still affected her, including the ones on the more secret aspects of her past.

"Yeah. I was stuck because I remembered more than I wanted to, just like you were stuck in a rut because you didn't remember. I thought that perhaps mixing the two might give us some kind of balance, a way to go on, to finally have some kind of a closure."

"So far I think it's working," he said deep in thought. "For the first time in forever I feel peace with myself by admitting who I am and just be ok with it."

She smiled tenderly at him, the special smile that was just for him, an open expression without any armour or detachment, "You know what? I feel the same. I have even gotten fewer nightmares."

"I noticed. No more screaming for help in the middle of the night," he said in a teasing tone reminding her of the night he had stomped into her room razing havoc. He had learnt from that experience. The first weeks after Emma using her wand on him Logan had learnt to politely knock on her door if nightmares were torturing her. That method had worked, no more blasting the Wolverine.

"Ah yes, no more strange men with their paws all over me," Emma laughed wickedly quoting how she had explained his presence to the professor.

"They better not; I would throw them out on their asses with claw marks to boot," Logan said darkly not finding her funny at all.

"Poppa bear getting all protective of me? I am touched," she laughed even louder at his exasperation at being teased. Obviously the Wolverine hadn't been burdened too much in the past with teasing so he didn't always know how to handle it.

"Don't get too flattered kid," he said dryly. "I don't think that many would come out of your room unhurt. Not at least the way you greeted me."

The witch just laughed louder at his words. Logan really was hilarious when he wanted to. It was a pity that not more people realized that this side of him existed.

"I have discovered a pattern," she said smugly as a distraction to Logan as he was all huffy about paws and her bedroom. She put on her coat and waited for Logan to ask what the pattern was, she knew he would at some point.

"What's that?"

"You like the redheads," she said chuckling at his surprised face.

Logan laughed heartily at that. He knew most of the women he had hooked up with in later years had indeed been redheads. And unfortunately Emma had witnessed most of them through the connection they had shared.

"Perceptive of you, especially after seeing that first hand in my head. Clearly your education was not wasted," he said sarcastically as he watched her trying to hide a snigger and failing miserably. He had noticed that she liked to end the often difficult legimens session with silly humour. It was if it was a way to get rid of the stress from whatever they had been working on. He had to admit to himself that it worked, goofy jokes were so much better than angst and torture.

"Come kid, I'll buy you a burger," he said dragging her to the bike that she wasn't afraid of anymore. For the first time in a long time he was feeling happy and it was thanks to the kid. He was content and that was the first time in his whole memory he could say that.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything and I'm not getting any money. Just borrowing for a bit for a bit of entertainment.

For those that are curious about how Emma Winter looks like I have posted a few links on my profile. Its more fun to have an image in your mind when reading. It certainly is when writing.

That being said, I enjoyed immensely writing this chapter *chuckles*. Enjoy :D

* * *

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints

Sinners are much more fun.

Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young

* * *

Emma had walked for an half an hour in the snow to get to Logan's cabin on the other end of Xavier's property. Logan had promised to pick her up after dinner to go to the cabin to have their legimens session. When he didn't arrive and no word came from him she decided to walk to the cabin to see if he was there already and had just simply forgotten to pick her up.

She had quite worried because he had been so adamant that they would meet up to continue the lessons so she worried that something might be wrong. No one had heard a thing from him since that afternoon when he had gone into town to buy some spare parts for the official school bus that had to be ready for the next week when there would be a fieldtrip.

As she was almost by the cabin she noticed his bike, well Scott's actually, parked in front of the house. She went to the bike and felt that the engine was still warm signalling he had not been there long. Even more so he had not even removed the keys from the engine.

Emma grabbed the doorknob and the door opened without an effort so she walked in as silently as she could. She had learnt how to go so quietly from all the nights sneaking out of Hogwarts with Filch on her heels.

She heard the shower running in the back and decided to let Logan know that she had arrived for the lesson. Emma knocked on the door, stepped in and blinked in surprise. What she saw made her jaw almost fall to the floor in surprise and her mind was moving very slowly in processing what was in front of her eyes.

There was Logan, apparently in fantastic shape and in no immediate danger. He was buck naked in the shower having what appeared to be having a really good time with a red haired woman that seemed to be enjoying herself a lot if her moaning could be any indication.

Emma stopped dead in her tracks and stared in shock, many scenarios had been playing in head on the way but this was not one of them. Murder and mayhem, sure that was to be expected from her short-tempered friend.

Sex?

Not so much.

Well it was actually if she was honest with herself.

Just not in front of her.

Above all else not in front of her.

Logan turned his head in her direction and actually snarled at her before a hand with three enormous knives slashed the air in her direction. His eyes softened when he saw who it was and he retracted her claws at seeing Emma's startled, extremely flushed face.

"Sorry!" Emma yelled out the apology as soon as her brain turned on and she slapped her hand over her eyes instinctively before turning to walk quickly out of the room. Disorientation had kicked into mega drive because of her embarrassment and instead of walking out Emma walked hard into the frame of the door almost breaking her nose when her head slammed hard into the frame.

"Oufff Merlin's balls," The witch growled under her breath as she hit the frame with her face and her mortification grew with every passing moment.

Emma took her hand away from her eyes feeling mortified with embarrassment. This was not the clean exit she had in mind. She shook her head in an attempt to get rid of the stars that were floating in front of her eyes. Hearing the woman snicker at her clumsiness pulled Emma out of her haze and if anything it freaked the young witch out even more. Emma knew she was making a fool out of herself but didn't know how to stop it. In the old magic society one never had to worry about a situation like this because they would never ever happen.

"Goddammit kid, are you ok?" Logan growled at her as if nothing was out of the ordinary and she was being the weird one.

All right? No! She was not all right! Emma wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She had just witnessed her closest friend having sex with some woman and then she had gotten a full frontal view of said friend. A very explicit full frontal that would be burnt into her cranium until the day she would die.

Emma was not all right at all! She was half dead with embarrassment and wanted nothing more than that the earth would just swallow her whole. The perfect time for a hole to open up and swallow her would have been at that exact moment but as always when she really needed something to happen, nothing did.

The young witch stumbled out of the bathroom, though the living room and out on the veranda. A clean getaway was her only thought and she saw Logan's bike remembering that the key was still there. Maybe if she was fast enough she could be on the bike and away before he would come out.

The situation didn't improve when Logan emerged to the veranda wet and naked calling for her. Obviously he had no issues when it came to waltzing around unclothed all over the place. Emma had enough issues for the both of them. In her life she had only seen one naked man and he had looked the complete opposite to Logan.

"Em, wait a second,"Logan growled trying to stop his little buddy from having her little fit and injure herself by running away in the crazy state of mind she was in.

Nope she wasn't going to wait. She tried to ignore his voice, stumbled towards the bike and was almost there when a strong arm grabbed her and turned her around.

She was staring into a very nude chest of what she knew was a very naked Logan. This day was just getting worse by the second.

"I'm sorry I didn't know you were having..." Emma flushed crimson and decided to change her sentence immediately when Logan smirked down at her his eyes glittering with amusement.

"Merlin ... that you had company."

"I should have called you kid and told you I would be busy," Logan said looking at her in surprise as she tried to squirm out of his grip and onto the bike. There was no way that he was going to let Emma take the bike. What would he do with his lady friend then? Walk her home? Let her stay the night? No way in hell. Logan didn't do that, ever. He was not going to start that now even though the kid was having some issues with something as natural as two people having a good time.

"That's fine, no worries. Can you let me go?" Emma said hurriedly trying to sound as normal as possible while trying to get out of this situation as soon as she could without looking like a dork.

Scratch that, without looking like more of a dork.

"Look kid. I know you didn't want to see that but seriously what the hell is your problem?," he asked frustrated leaning in closer to check if her scent would give him any indication to what was her problem. Logan wondered if she had broken something in her face with the commotion when she ran into the door. There was no scent of blood in the air as far as he could tell.

"Let me go!" Emma snarled flustered trying unsuccessfully to pull herself out of his iron grip. If there was one thing she didn't want it was for Logan to come even closer to her than he already was. She did not need a naked Logan any closer to her than he was at the moment as her nose almost touched his muscled chest.

The commotion had gotten attention from the shower woman that much they realized when a slurring voice called sweetly, too sweetly in Emma's opinion, "Sweetheart, are you coming?"

Logan and Emma both looked sideways seeing the woman naked on the veranda enjoying a cigarette and a glass of whiskey while watching the scene by the bike. Emma just blinked and started to wonder if it was just a bad dream with all the naked people running around. However she was quite certain she would not have imagined the shower woman. Logan perhaps she admitted embarrassed to herself but surely not the car crash that was standing on the veranda.

Logan looked back at Emma and said in a friendly voice as if nothing was out of the ordinary, "We will talk later. Don't steal my bike! I need it!"

Emma nodded baffled in agreement, anything to make him leave. Even if she had to walk back, it would be an easy agreement just to get out of the mess she was in. Hell walking to the end of the world sounded better than standing on moment longer in front of her naked friend. Logan finally let her go and she was happily looking for an escape route out of the mess.

"You ok kid?" Logan asked concerned seeing her interest in getting out of there. Emma had never been in this much of a hurry to get out of his company before, not even when she saw him kill in the most grotesque way in his memories. The young woman nodded in agreement her face flushing and taking on a shade of a very ripe tomato. Her eyes avoided him completely and she was looking towards where the mansion was located.

An annoyed cough from the veranda dragged Logan from his thoughts.

"I'm coming," he said pleasantly to the woman on the veranda and walked away from a stunned Emma. He felt so comfortable in his skin that he did hardly notice that he was in his birthday suit. Logan had long since stopped being concerned about nakedness; it was not part of his nature.

However if Logan would have turned around again to face the witch he might have laughed loudly or perhaps been taken aback by what he would have seen.

The young witch stood in the same place, he eyes glued on the naked form of her friend in a very approving way. He really was a sight for sore eyes with his muscled back and strong frame. She had never noticed Logan like that before, he really was rather beautiful.

Then it was if she woke from a slumber, turned quickly away and almost ran down the driveway towards Xavier's.

* * *

Logan came home later that evening and Ororo spoke to him as he was half in the fridge looking for a beer.

"What did you do? Emma looked mortified when she came home," Ororo said disapproving of Logan like so many times in the past.

"I didn't do anything! She walked in on me and a ... friend having a good time," Logan excused himself not understanding what was the big deal. Yes he agreed inwardly that perhaps it would have been better if Emma had not seen them having sex but it was done now and nothing he could do about it.

"And what happened then?" Ororo asked with a sceptic look on her face. Logan was a master at flustering teenage girls and it seemed that even though Emma was now a grown woman she had no idea how to handle some aspects of Logan's personality.

"She ran out, I chased her and tried to talk to her but she was not listening," he grumbled frustrated. Women were beyond him. He thought he understood Emma more than most but it didn't seem so at that moment.

"Emma didn't tell me much before but she mentioned one thing. Is it true that you went after her buck naked to talk?" Ororo asked sternly not understanding how someone could be so insensitive to a young woman. Emma had been so embarrassed that she had hardly been able to tell Ororo what had flustered her so.

"Yeah, so?," Logan asked surprised that it was some issue. He understood that it was a problem when the woman in front of him rolled her eyes and sighed to herself.

"Not all women are like the ones you pick up in bars. Your little friend is young and inexperienced. I doubt she has seen many naked men in her life. Let alone a friend that is actually trying to have a conversation with her while standing in all his glory in front of her."

He stared at her blankly.

Little friend?

Not seen many men naked?

Well she better have not seen many men undressed he thought to himself. She was far too young for that. It came as a stark contrast to the other thoughts that it was alright that she had seen him like that.

"What are you saying 'Ro?," for the life of him he would never understand women. They spoke usually in some mysterious language that he just didn't get. Ororo was exceptionally good at that, in fact she was fantastic at it. That should have been her mutant power to begin with.

"What would you think if Scott would parade like that in front of Rogue?," Ororo asked shrewdly knowing instantly that she had scored when he eyeballed her annoyed.

He snarled at that idea, how sickening to suggest that when Rogue was like his kid. He would rip Scooter's balls off if he so much as would take his shirt off in front of his little Marie.

"Look I understand that you two are friends and that you are very comfortable around her. However your feel of comfort might not be like anyone else's. Just try to treat her a little more carefully, she isn't one of the guys and she is much more naive that she looks like."

* * *

Later that evening Logan knocked on Emma's door to apologize. She was in bed reading a book on ancient philosophy that Ororo had given her. She had calmed down after talking to Ororo and relaxing in her room had helped her to calm down and try to forget the most embarrassing day she had ever had. For Emma Winter that was saying a lot.

Emma was not as innocent as Ororo imagined. She had not been so upset over seeing Logan naked; what had terrified her was the fact that she liked what she had seen. That had freaked her out. She didn't want to lust after her friend and seeing him naked was not to help those feelings die.

"Come in," Emma called looking to the door opening slowly. It was Logan standing in the shadows and silently watching her with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Hey, come in," she said closing the book and putting it on the nightstand.

Logan looked a bit nervous and more uncomfortable than he had earlier that evening.

He sat down in on a chair in the corner of the room looking at her with confused stare not knowing quite how to start the conversation without embarrassing her even further.

"Hey kid, I'm not good with words so just sorry for earlier and the whole being naked part."

Emma flushed again but not as badly as she had earlier that evening. She was a grownup and refused to feel like a teenager over something as natural as that. Even though it did fluster her a lot!

"It's ok Logan, I just didn't think. Of course I should have realized what was going on. I won't go there again unannounced," Emma said trying to weasel herself out of a further discussion of his body and lack of clothes. Images of him started to appear in her mind flustering her even further.

"I won't take chicks there anymore, got that?," Logan said gruffly trying to make a peace offering and shutting her up at the same time. The barflies were not as important as getting his memories back, he could entertain them somewhere else.

"Yeah, got it," Emma said smiling at him and chuckling with mirth as she looked at his face.

"What is so funny?" he asked with an eyebrow raised. Her mood changed faster than the weather.

"Umm you might want to check yourself in the mirror, you have a little something there," she said pointing randomly at his face.

Logan turned in the chair and looked in the mirror and blinked with surprise.

His reflection stared back at him. Half of his face smeared with red lipstick from the earlier get-together in the shower.

So that's why 'Ro had been smirking when he left the kitchen.

He looked at Emma who was laughing loudly at the surprise on his face.

"Red suits you, now I know what to give you for Christmas," She chuckled more as she handed him a tissue to wipe his face.

Women, he would never understand them.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of the Marvel characters or any of the X-men. The same can be said of the wonderful world of J.K. Rowling *pouts*. I am in no way making any kind of money from this story and I promise to return the characters just the way I found them.

On another note, I thank all the lovely review's I have gotten lately. They really have helped me to get perspective. So a big thank you to the nicks here below who have been nothing but kindness and have posted lovely feedback and hints for me.

**Coldie**

**00 BodySnatcher**

**Jinx of the 2nd Law**

* * *

And I need just a little more silence,  
and I just need a little more time  
The courage to pull away  
there will be hell to pay  
the deeper you cut to the bone

Sarah McLachlan - Time

* * *

"Alright class, tomorrow we are going to a fieldtrip. Most likely we will stop by at some local museums and do other things that you enjoy so. As you know none of you will need consent from your parents, the professor has cleared it one way or another."

The kids applauded and Emma could feel the teenage enthusiasm in the air. It was obvious that it wasn't just her that looked forward to getting out of the house and away from the mansion.

"Miss Winter?" Bobby called, getting a glare from Rogue as he did so. The teenage girl had not hidden it from Emma that she very much disliked her. Emma put on her most sugar sweet smile, enjoying how he blushed as she said his name with a heavy British accent_, _"Yes Bobby?"

Seeing Rogue's face almost made her laugh maliciously, there was no denying that the girl got furious. Even more so when she noticed that bobby blushed like a ripe tomato.

"I was thinking that ... hmmm ... that..." he stuttered horrified at the look of amusement in the face of his teacher. Even though Miss Winter wasn't much older than the kids in the class, it was at times at these that he realized that she was a full-grown woman, with a very womanly side to her. As he could see by the teasing twinkle in her eyes as she glanced to his side.

His side?

Bobby swallowed hard and looked to his right and as he had expected Rogue was glaring at him with a murderous look. That snapped Bobby from his trance, Rogue was formidable when crossed.

Finally Bobby remembered what to ask Miss Winter, "Do you want us to bring something on the trip or read up on the history of the neighbouring towns?"

"Good question Bobby," Emma replied before dropping the bomb on her student knowing she would win no popularity points with her next words. However she was not part of the faculty for that, she was there to guide the students onwards.

"I want individual assignments from each of you; they will include a brief history any of the museums, the founders, and how far you think the influences of the museum have spread locally. That's the first part..." Emma said turning to get the photocopied papers she had prepared with the job descriptions and ignoring the sighs of the group while she handed out the papers.

"... As you can see the second part is to make your own imaginary museum based on an historical event within the USA. You have a week from Friday to turn it in and all the descriptions are on the paper in front of you"

"Why does it say here that it will be 30% of the final grade?" Kitty asked cheekily.

"Because it is?" Emma drawled sarcastically, "I won't accept late assignments, those that return it after the deadline will get an F"

Emma knew full well that she was tough when it came to her students but she knew they would appreciate it further down the line when and if they would go to further studies. Discipline was the first principle of a student, a lesson most students had learnt the hard way by being on detention with Severus Snape. Emma had had a thicker skull than most it seemed as she had been a constant subscriber to Snape's detentions for all the years she was a student at Hogwarts. She and the trio had had problem with authority but it was her that got into constant troubles with the Slytherins because of her detentions.

Emma smiled at the disgusted looks on her student faces, then she added the last torpedo knowing full well how much the teens would disapprove of her teaching methods, "and no internet references. Class dismissed"

When the students had left the room Emma sat behind by her desk. Her mind was filled with thoughts of her friends back home, how she missed the trio. After being with them all those years at Hogwarts it was so strange not to be able to talk to them whenever she wanted to.

She had been planning on writing Hermione a letter and since she had nothing to do for the next hours she decided to spend some time on writing a draft of a letter that she would send to her friends back home.

* * *

Dear Hermione (and Ron, Harry and Ginny that I'm sure are reading this over your shoulder).

I am hiding at the moment as you might have guessed and therefore cannot send you this letter until the storm blows over. However I had an overwhelming need to write down my feelings to you all and let you know how I like this new life of mine. When I return at Hogwarts I hope that all the four of us, plus Ginny of course, will finally sit down and share stories of what has happened while I plus Harry and Ginny were away.

Firstly let me say that I miss you all so much. Even though I very much wanted to get away from Hogwarts I had never planned on not being able to talk to you all. Without you it's strange to see the world as I have become so dependent on your company. I guess it's healthy for me to stand on my own feet without you but even thinking of the banter between Harry and Ron over Quidditch is making me nostalgic and that's saying a lot as you all know I cannot stand that sport.

I got work here at Xavier's school for gifted youngster; your imagination might now be suggesting that the children might be one of us. No they are not witches nor wizards but neither are they normal either. Even though they can't do magic there is something wonderfully magical about them. They are called mutants and that is considered a gift or a curse depending on whom you talk to. I had never heard of something called a mutant before except from herbology and that term does not explain the modern term. (I suspect that at least Hermione and perhaps even Harry had heard about mutants but Merlin why didn't you tell me and Ron? I sounded like a charlatan when I came here having no clue what mutation was).

To clarify the term at least to Ron and maybe all three of you I will try to explain this muggle term. Right, a mutant is a person that is born different, someone that is born with an ability that is not considered normal by modern society's standard. I realize that at first glance that explanation might be about us magic folk but really that's where the similarities end. Mutants usually are born with on specific gift (most prefer that term even though some call it power and even fewer call it a curse); that usually comes out at puberty even though there are examples of younger than that and older.

Studies have suggested that the reasons why mutants exist are because of some kind of evolution in the human DNA over time. Just like Homo sapiens took over from the Neanderthal there are suggestions that the mutant gene is stronger than normal people's gene. So if a parent has what has been called the X-gene, even if dormant, the child almost always inherits the gene in its DNA. Why it's called an X-gene have no idea, the only plausible reason I can think of is that it was discovered when generation X was at its high peak and it was very fashionable to label anything and everything with an x.

The gifts that the mutants have are so individual that no two are exactly the same. Some can manipulate fire, others teleport, walk through walls, the list is endless and the possibilities mindboggling.

I can easily imagine a future when we will have a magical mutants, I'm sure it has happened or is about to happen in the near future. I presume that their magic would make their mutation even stronger, or perhaps magic would just become a part of the X-gene. Would that make a whole new species of an advanced super race? It might very well be, I think the Ministry of magic should consider this because the likelihood is too high to ignore (hint to the ministry staffer who is reading this).

Mutants are feared and even hated here in the United States and Xavier worries that soon something really bad will happen that will ruin the balance between normal's and mutants. That somewhere, someone will lose their temper and injure both normals and mutants alike, that there will be war. There have been fights all over the world and I worry that one day some of my new found friends or the children, my students, will get injured or even dead in the process. I had enough of death at Hogwarts, I don't want these young children to suffer the same fate as so many of our own did.

Thank you for the internet lessons Moine, I couldn't have read all these reports on the unease in the world without the knowledge of the World Wide Web. Albeit small, my knowledge has allowed me to read up on the muggle world in this wonderful way. Surfing online was something I did do much of before coming here to Xavier's. I have to agree wholeheartedly with Arthur Weasley you have to love Muggle technology.

Now as I was saying about mutants; they are unique every one of them. It's not like it is with us when one is better at defence against the dark arts while somebody else is better at healing. The first mutant I met could control the weather; she had power over the weather elements. When she is sad it rains, when she is cheerful the sun shines brightly even though the forecast predicted snow. Most impressive of all is when she has to defend herself for then she uses powerful lightings that she can control with eerie precision. I would not want to be on the receiving end of them, that's for certain.

Her name is Storm and she is one of the most impressive people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She is stubborn as a mule when it suits her (something that you Gryffindors should appreciate), wonderful with the children who adore her and so proud of being a mutant. She is so strong mentally and I really look up to her, she is the first female role model that I have ever had.

There are other mutants here of course. Xavier who runs the school is a formidable psychic who is probably the strongest mutant at this school or even in the USA. He reminds me a lot of my old guardian Dumbledore in a sense that he really loves his students and hopes to teach them how to respect themselves and others. However there are so many muggles here that are terrified of mutants; afraid of what they do not understand. Even though most mutants are peaceful, everyday people there are still some that are lethal to be around and so likely to stir trouble wherever they go.

There is a mutant organization here that reminds me a lot of the Death eaters in the way that they attack and ask questions later, often killing many in the process. They believe that the mutants are the next step in the evolution and that muggles should be destroyed as they simply stand in the way of natural development of the species. I thank Merlin that Voldemort is dead and most of his lot in Azkaban, if not these two groups would most certainly have rallied together and who knows what the outcome would have been. It would have been genocide for sure. The fear that the muggles have is for what they do not understand is often based on nothing. However at some level I understand that they are alarmed by the mutants, however the government is doing nothing to educate the muggles about mutants and that one doesn't have to fear them all. It is likely if something happens, that it will happen very quickly as that is the usual deal when things go pear shaped in the muggle world.

Storm might not have been too charming the first time we met but I understand her concerns. As society is today she had every right to worry about me, a normal, starting working at a school filled with mutant children, teenagers and even teachers. The danger of the children hurting me was and still is a concern to her, Storm worries that one of the teens will lose control of their power and accidently hurt me. I would never willingly use my magic against children as my reaction would be just as unpredictable as theirs. However I do worry what would happen if one of them would attack me for some reason, I hope that I could keep my temper in check and do nothing drastic. That way I could make myself proud and it hasn't been often that it has happened.

Another teacher here is Scott. He is a friendly man, albeit aloof, dark, moody and quite introvert. The others speak of times where he was different and carefree but I guess love changes us all into fools, happy fools that is. Unfortunately his fiancée died in an attempt to save the other mutants here. It worked; Jean saved them all and is dearly missed by the whole school. It's like most of them are suffering from survivor's guilt, like they can't believe they made it when such a powerful mutant as herself didn't. It is evident how much they miss her, even her seat at the dinner table remains empty as if they are still waiting for her to walk through the door and take her seat.

As Jean was the residential doctor there had to be someone to fill that vacancy when she passed away. Xavier hired Hank who, if only half the stories the children tell me are true then Hank is wonderfully talented physician. Obviously the children adore him but the faculty gets along with him brilliantly. He is very well mannered, quick to tease to lighten the atmosphere and if I'm correct completely enamoured by Storm who seems to be mulling it over if she should take the plunge.

Hank's mutation is a bit different from many as he is blue, he has blue fur from the top of his head to the tip of his toes so if you ever meet someone looking like that, well the chances are quite high that it's Hank. He isn't all fur and happiness as I cannot imagine the heartbreak of being brought up looking so different in a mutant fearing society. But he is a very good man and I hope that he and Storm will end up hooking up, they both need someone to lean on and to love.

I have been helping a fellow teacher and mutant to gain his memories through legimens. I know what you are wondering, if I am rather destroying his memories than helping. Even though these lessons didn't work as glamorously as I would have wanted when I was a teenager you also have to put things into perspective. How on earth can anyone learn anything when during private lessons with Severus Snape? Surely not me since the man hated me since the day I stepped foot onto school grounds. Harry should sympathise, Snape was even worse to him during his lessons.

As much as I had worried about hurting Logan, I didn't at all. I didn't do brilliantly either; rather mediocre to be honest but at least slowly he has been gaining some of his memories back. At first he only remembered what I helped him dig up but now Logan says that he has starting to remember on his own flashes from wars long past from times he hadn't remembered before.

I feel sorry for him even though he doesn't want nor needs pity from anyone. Logan was born such a long time ago, in what is now Canada, before the American revolutionary war. That makes him older than any wizards I know of (besides Nicolas Flamel of course but he cheated with the Philosophers stone), that is quite an achievement for a mutant. There are only two mutants in the world that I know of that share this longevity. That is him and his old companion Victor who Logan hates due to constant clashes as far as he can remember.

Besides being so old Logan has the gift of healing, basically he can heal in mere seconds most injuries he suffers from. Quite impressive, would have loved to have that gift when we were back at Hogwarts instead of having to go to Poppy Pomfrey every single time I got injured. One would imagine that he looks older than Dumbledore due to his age but he looks somewhere in his thirties and so very handsome and I have to admit that I have a bit of a teenage crush on him that I would rather die than tell anyone here about.

It gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to help someone as tortured as Logan is. Since I probably won't even send this letter I can pour out my thoughts here on the page without worrying that I am breaking confidentiality. If I ever send this letter, I will edit it a lot both for Logan's privacy and for the very bored minds of Ron and Harry that are most likely yawning with boredom by now.

It feels like I have known Logan forever. You all know me and how secretive I am; it is simply part of my nature. With Logan I want to open up, it feels good to tell him things, he never judges me and he never is shocked by anything I say or do. He simply accepts who I am and that is very disarming to me. I have been judged my whole life at Hogwarts but never more than in the last three years and it felt that everyone had an opinion of me. Usually a bad impression or pity since my parents died. I don't know what's worse to be honest. Judged for associations with people you had no control over or pity for the death of my parents that I would give everything to meet but just a moment.

But as nice as it would be to be the savoir of such a good man as Logan is I cannot take the whole credit for saving in this friendship. Logan has saved me just as much or more than how I have helped him. We made a deal early on that I would show him some of my memories instead of helping him. Therefore he would feel that we were on an equal footing and I on some whim decided I would do it. I think I needed an outlet for all the pent up emotions that have been filling my heart and soul ever since I was a young child.

Remember we always said that Filch's cat Mrs. Norris was feral because she hated everybody but he owner and she tried to attack every one of the students? Here they have feral mutants like Logan for example. It took me a while to understand what it means since Logan sure doesn't behave like Mrs. Norris.

Logan is almost like a split personality, the man Logan and then the feral animal side that he calls the wolverine, on a bad day he calls it the beast. The man in him seems to be always fighting the wilder side and refuses to accept that both sides are him. He is bound by his feral side in ways I will never understand and when there is danger somewhere on the horizon the wolverine takes over.

The wild side is unforgiving, dangerous; lethal in many cases, calculating and an expert at surviving. From what I have seen in his memories not only is Logan almost ancient but he cannot be killed. At least not by anything I can think of as he has been shot thousands of times at no avail. The healing factor in him fixes him right up even though it pains him as if it would us if injured.

Another formidable thing he has are three metal claws on each hand that come out on his control. They are made of super hard metal that seems to go through most things like butter and I would hate to be on the receiving end of those as I doubt anyone would survive that, not even with Pomfrey's help.

I know you are surprised to hear that I picked a gruff, snarly, hot-tempered mutant as my confidant but he is just what I needed. He doesn't suffocate me with chatter when I don't want to talk about something, he isn't constantly bantering me about my feelings but rather makes me concentrate on the facts of things. After each session he drags me out for drinks or hamburgers and those are the most wonderful times of the week.

Moine why on earth did you never take us to have a cheeseburger? I know Harry has probably gotten one but I had never and I'm quite certain that Ron has never gotten one either. Why is everything so much better with cheese? I have no idea.

Okay I'm ranting up a storm here but there is so much I would love to tell you all and you are so far away and unreachable to me until Dumbledore contacts me that it's safe to return home. Until then I'm stuck here and honestly I'm starting to like it here. I like my staff members Storm, Hank and Scott. I enjoy my friendship with Logan and I love teaching history to the teenagers, even when they usually wouldn't notice if I were talking about America or goblins.

I am happy here even though I miss you all dreadfully. Everything would be perfect if i could disapparate to you every weekend for a visit but as things are now that's impossible. I hope that i can soon but for now I can't be in any contact with you and that makes me a little sad.

Besides to worry for the future I am doing quite well, ì feel better than I ever did after the war with Voldemort started. I even manage to sleep through the night on occasion and for me it's a miracle as you all know how it was for me in the last year or so. Zombie would be a good description. I needed to get away from Hogwarts and all the bad memories I had of that place, it had become a place of nightmares and horror for me. I look at it with a little more positivity now but I'm still far from wanting to return there. Too much has happened that I need to sort through in my head before I can go back but I know I will at some point go back to the magical world.

You are there my dear friends, Dumbledore and Minerva as well and I care deeply for you all and miss our talks. I know that Harry and Ginny more than deserved a long break from everything and everyone but I can't help feeling a little annoyed at Albus for interfering yet again in things that don't concern him. Everything he does he does out of love, it is still frustrating to still have the feeling that he is a puppet master and us pawns in his game. None the less I adore the old man and he knows I will never get angry at him for a long time; I simply love him too much to blow up at him. I have a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't even bat an eye at me having a temper tantrum; Dumbledore is too used to angry people to get upset over a trivial thing like that.

Even though I miss Hogwarts and you all; I still have to admit that I am enjoying my life here. Even though I lived in the muggle world with Mrs. Ashbrook I still never really experienced it for I was so young. If I got hurt auntie fixed me right up, invincibility not something one usually associated with muggle children so I learnt early on to not mention potions and wands to my playground friends. Living here at Xavier's is the first time that I've been in the muggle world alone and I'm loving it. I blend in, to the mutants I'm simply one of the boring, normal, everyday people. There was a misstep on my behalf earlier in the semester resulting in two colleagues, Xavier and Logan, finding out who I really am. Fortunately they are men of their words and I trust their promise of silence even though I wish that I hadn't screwed up like that. It seems I'm not good at being incognito, a real embarrassment to the house of Slytherin.

So I guess I have told you everything that has happened so far and people are in my life up to this moment. I wish I could visit you on the weekends like I did ever since we graduated. I hope that you are well and that everything is going well at the ministry (Yes, of course I hope that Harry, Ginny and Ron are doing marvellously as I can almost hear their complaints over my choice of words).

Do not worry about me; I am more content than I have been in a long time. Things might be looking up for me; at least they are heading in that general direction.

I love you all my little family of friends and I hope you will all stay safe until my return. Send my best to Albus whom I adore as you all know.

All my love

Emma.

* * *

The witch sat and re-read her letter a few times while battling with her tears. It had been good to write the feelings down on a paper but it made her sad as she knew she could never send it. As she read it she was startled to see how much of it was dedicated to Logan, he was a dear friend and important figure in her life but almost half of the letter was about him and his feelings. It confused her, wasn't alike her at all to spend so much time and energy on a friend.

The comment about his looks that she had carefully crossed over dozens of times afterwards made her even more confused. Sure Logan was a handsome man but what did that really matter to her, since when did the looks of a friend become an interesting factor to her? Never was the honest answer, never until Logan that was.

Emma couldn't send the letter, there was no way she could do that. She had become a secret guardian for Harry and Ginny, there was no way she would do as stupid of a thing as sending a letter with a postmark to give out her location.

Leaving the letter in her drawer until she could send it was not an option either. The chances of someone finding the letter were too high to risk it. What if one of the children would find out that she was a witch? They would probably think she was crazy but some might fear her and that would be more devastating to her than any other reaction imaginable.

After carefully weighing her options she decided to burn the letter, there was too high of a chance that someone would find the letter and her secret would be out. Emma crumpled the letter together in her fist and walked to the fireplace in the common room that was always lit during the winter months. Emma threw the letter quickly in the flames and watched burn to ash; she wasn't satisfied until every page had turned into dust. Then she reached for the poker and stuck the dust with it, scattering it all over the fireplace. Some stories were better kept as secret, at least in fragile times.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer:

I don't own any of the Marvel characters or any of the X-men. The same can be said of the wonderful world of J.K. Rowling. I am in no way making any kind of money from this story and I promise to return the characters just the way I found them.

Sorry that this chapter has taken me so long. Life got in the way and I had a small summer holiday. That should have refreshed me and my muse enough to blazing onwards with this story.

I put Logan's memories into italics for the purpose of distinguishing them from Emma's own memories. I hope it won't get too confusing at times or too difficult to read :)

Thank you to

**Coldie **

**EmeraldGreyClouds **

**Otaku Wench**

for their lovely reviews :)

Also huge thanks to those that have put my story into their favourites or on story alert, it makes me so happy to see that people are reading and enjoying my story :)

* * *

We're just two lost souls

Swimming in a fish bowl,

Year after year,

Pink Floyd – Wish you were here

* * *

**(Logan – Memory)**

_Logan and Victor were sitting impatiently outside of an office door. It seemed to be in army barracks as all the men there were dressed in army gear from head to toe._

"_Major Stryker will see you now," an over bored looking young man said to the two men waiting. They immediately stood up and got in the office where a serious looking man had his nose buried in documents._

"_Good morning gentlemen, I expect you slept well after your execution yesterday," Stryker said ironically to the two mutants in front of him. Logan didn't answer but silently studied the major while Victor smiled gleefully making his fangs obvious to the major that had been studying him silently. That man looked even more dangerous when he smiled because of the treacherous glint that appeared in his eyes._

"_You boys ready for your first assignment?" major Stryker asked his voice coming out as a drawl. The two men in front of him looked at each other and grinned. If only the major knew how old they really were he wouldn't be acting so superior to them. However neither of them would tell them how old they really were. They would be sent to science labs for checks if they did. Both of them knew better than to blab about their past so they decided to zip it. _

"_Yes," Victor answered dryly in response to Stryker's request. The major had noticed the look between the two mutants but had no way of knowing what that meant. With those two it could be anything._

"_What's the assignment?" Logan asked carefully as he didn't trust Stryker further than he could throw him. He had heard rumours about Stryker at the base. He was considered manipulative, power-hungry and ready to forfeit everyone who worked for him to complete a mission. Logan could see that it seemed to be true, at least partially as the major assessed the two mutants with cold, calculating eyes._

"_You will be debriefed on the way to the location. Be here at twenty hundred hours tonight. You will be working with other mutants on this mission. Try not to kill each other or the others."_

"_Other mutants?" Logan asked taken aback as if the idea of other mutants surprised him. In fact the two men had never met other mutants as far as they knew, however that could also have been due to the fact that they killed and asked questions later. _

"_Yes, you didn't think you were the only ones?" Stryker asked mocking him and hinting that the two were not that special after all. They were of course; he had had to go far and wide around the world to build his special squad of talented and willing mutants._

"_I met many besides you just here in Vietnam. That should give you an idea of how many of you are out there," Stryker said thinking aloud and giving away a little more interest in the subject than he wanted._

"_How special" Victor sneered with disinterest._

"_I know you two have a problem with authority but I run this show. I have the weight of the American government behind me and I won't hesitate to use it if you cross me."_

"_Threats don't work on us bub," Logan growled at Stryker and for the first time ever Victor seemed to agree wholeheartedly with his mutant companion._

"_Let's see if this works. Working for me is your last chance; it's the only place in the world where you can use your mutant powers for something good. You will no longer be hunted and are under my protection as long as you are working with me. "_

"_Sounds good to me"_ Victor replied very enthusiastically for his usual devil may care attitude.

"_Good, I'll see you both tonight. Dismissed."_

_

* * *

_

The vision ended and it was obvious that Logan was in no mood to discuss his vision. He stood up and pulled Emma from the chair and half dragged her to where the pensive was resting on the kitchen table. She understood his not so subtle hint; he didn't want to talk about what they had seen in his memory.

Logan had grown increasingly more impatient with his memories as he was not getting his answers as quickly as he wanted. Pushing them into her memories instead was his way of distracting her and himself from his own memories. Emma didn't mind as much now that she was resolving her own past, months earlier this behaviour of Logan would have lit her up like a firecracker but not anymore. She was learning how to control her temper, at least moderately around Logan as he always managed to get under her skin.

She quietly pulled out the pre-chosen memory with her wand and tugged in into the ready pensive bowl. After silently watching the memory swirl for a few moments she looked up at Logan and said in an explanatory voice, "When Dumbledore offered me a teaching position at Hogwarts."

Logan nodded and the pair of them put their heads into the pensive to view the memory of a younger Emma.

A teenage looking Emma was standing beside the old wizard that Logan had seen before in one of Emma's memory. Now that Logan could see the wizard standing he could appreciate how tall the wizard really was as he towered over the younger looking Emma who looked like an innocent version of the Emma he knew from Xavier's.

They two were standing on a tall hill overlooking an enormous castle that looked as if it had been there for millenniums. The wizards long silvery hair and beard moved in the breeze making the wizard look even more like someone out of a fairytale. His robes were an impressive ruby red with stars scattered about randomly.

Logan couldn't help quirking an eyebrow at the dress and even more so when he noticed that the younger Emma was wearing black robes, with shirt and a green tie underneath.

"Nice outfit," Logan said at his friend who was standing silently beside him as always when they entered her mind. A slow grin tugged on her lips before she stepped closer to Dumbledore to hear what he was saying to the younger version of herself. Logan followed in her footsteps as the wizard was still an old man and his voice not as strong as one would have expected from someone so formidable looking.

"Don't deny this part of you Emma. Stay here with us for your education. Let us help to harness the power you have, if not it will hurt you in the end. Uncontrolled magic can have dire consequences. With great power comes great responsibility. Even though you have graduated it doesn't mean that your education is finished. You will grow more here than anywhere else in the magical world. We might even be able to do something about that horrible temper of yours," Dumbledore said grinning and petting the young Emma amicably on the shoulder.

The young Emma didn't say anything. It was if she were unsure in her decision to stay at the same place as she had been since she was a youngling. The place where she had seen so many horrors.

"Look child," the old man said and touched her shoulder. The view in front of them changed. The castle disappeared and instead there was nothing but old ruins covered by moss and grass.

"This is what all non magic people see if they would ever manage to get this close. The entire Hogwarts area has an aversion charm that directs non magic folk away from this place."

He let her shoulder go and the castle appeared again. Dumbledore looked with affection down at Emma, even though she wasn't his kin, she was dear to his heart and making her happy and safe was a priority. Dumbledore and to Minerva hadn't stopped worrying what young Emma would do after graduation or where she would end up.

"Do not worry about safety. I and Minerva will make sure that you are safe within these walls. Nothing comes in here unless allowed by me. That's a promise". The old man said looking down at Emma affectionately.

"Now... it's a minute before your 17th birthday. I will be your guardian for one more year. Will you join us here after you graduate next year and help us to educate the young witches and wizards that come here? Will you share the responsibility with us of building a magic community?" the wizard looked at her hopefully his bright blue eyes twinkling as if he already knew the answer she was looking for.

"Yes Dumbledore, I will stay," The young Emma said and gave Dumbledore a little uncertain smile.

"Marvellous!" Dumbledore said and dragged out a small parcel out of his sleeve. With every passing second the parcel seemed to grow bigger in his hands.

"I have a gift for you, a coming of age present of sorts" Dumbledore said smiling affectionately at the young witch who looked flustered at the size of the parcel. Even in Dumbledore's arms the box suddenly looked enormous.

"Go on then child, open it up."

Dumbledore didn't have to tell her twice, she attacked the parcel and got the lid off in one fluid motion.

"Oh Albus a cloak for me!" Emma asked stunned stroking the black woollen cloak in her hands.

"It was time you got one; the lining will remind you of your roots."

Emma looked down to the bottom of the cloak where she could see a beautiful emerald green silk lining on the inside of the cloak. Adding small details seemed to be Dumbledore's speciality.

"You love to remind me that I'm a Slytherin, I wonder why that is," she questioned inquisitively with a hint of animosity etched in her voice.

"You do not have to be ashamed of that side of you. I always suspected that you would be sorted into Slytherin and I was proud the day the sorting house did indeed sort you there. You weren't unhappy with your sorting until the day Draco Malfoy went after you as he thought you were a muggle."

"He called me a mudblood Albus, not muggle. There is a difference." The younger version of Emma hissed her temper flaring making Logan chuckle.

Dumbledore's eyes were filled with sadness and he awkwardly petted her on the shoulder, "why don't you make an old man happy and try the cloak on? Minerva made me promise that I'd see you wear it."

"But of course," Emma said relieved that Albus had changed the subject. Dumbledore lift the coat up and she put her arms into each sleeve and the buttoning it up. Emma could feel the hairs on her arms stand on end, a sure sign that magic was very close to her person.

"Albus is it a magical cloak?" Emma asked and brushed the sleeve away so Albus could see her physical reaction.

Albus had looked as if he wanted to refuse her question but seeing her arm made him change his idea. "I put a few spells on it, nothing too much mind. I simply added a heating spell on it so it will be warm in the winter and cool in the summer. There is nothing more ghastly than feeling cold when you are disapparating. Don't you like it?"

"Like it? Albus I adore it," she gushed and threw her arms around Dumbledore's neck that chuckled and petted her clumsily on the shoulders.

"That's my girl."

"What's this?" Emma pulled out a closed glass vial on a leather string. The liquid was see-through as if it was water but Emma knew better than to make an assumption like that.

"This, my dear, is a secret present from me and Fawkes. You know how healing his tears are, apply them on any wound and they will heal up right away. With your clumsiness and knack for trouble we thought this was the perfect present for you."

"Why is it secret Albus? Minerva would be angry?"

"She would be because she worries about you all the time and frankly Minerva thinks you attract trouble to you... like magic," Dumbledore said smiling at his bad joke.

"As always Minerva wouldn't be that far from the truth there. She has a knack for seeing things for what they are."

"Don't be so pessimistic my dear, it doesn't suit you. I merely want to keep you safe, I owe as much to your parents. Don't tell anyone about this bottle, not even your dear friends whom you hold so close."

"Why not?" Emma asked suspiciously as if she couldn't believe why Dumbledore would want her to keep anything from the trio. They were glued together and trusted each other with everything that happened in their lives.

"First of all the tears are for you, just you Emma. I worry that you might use them on someone else if given the chance. Secondly, a bottle like this is so rare that I imagine you could buy half of Hogwarts for its contents so keep it safe. There would be many who would want their hands on the bottle."

Emma gasped shocked and pushed the bottle back into the pocket for protection, Dumbledore watched with an approving smile.

"Why would you give me such a gift? I don't know if I can accept such generosity, even if it's from you."

Albus Dumbledore shook his head, only the daughter of Edward Winter would argue about something as important to survival as phoenix tears. Coveted by all wizards in known history it was only to be expected that Emma would be the only one to refuse such a kingly gift. After all the Winters were known for being like wild horses and ones that more often than not ran the complete opposite of what had been intended in the first place.

"You see my dear; I made a promise to your parents and myself, that was to keep you alive and happy as long as my life would last. So far I have failed in the happiness, but I hope that soon that will all change. As soon as we have gotten rid of Voldemort I will personally see to you being constantly happy for the rest of your life."

"Right, I don't think you have to go to the other extreme Dumbledore. My life is not a fairytale."

"Alas, perhaps one day it will be," he said, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously at her.

"I seriously doubt that," Emma answered with the melodrama of the youth that is certain that life is over at twenty.

"Why do you still call me Dumbledore after all the years I have asked you to call me Albus?"

"Old habit after the years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore comes easier to me. You don't mind I hope?"

"Of course not, it's a wee bit formal but I don't mind it at all. Now come, Minerva is waiting with a birthday cake for you and she wanted to see how the cloak fit."

"There is one thing I wanted to ask you for years."

"What is it?"

"Are you and Minerva married? You do everything together."

Albus Dumbledore looked startled at his ward, "married? I and Minerva?"

Before she got the chance to reply, Dumbledore had broken into a long heartfelt laughter that brought tears to his eyes. Seeing how uncomfortable Emma was at being excluded, he finally decided to answer her.

"No my dear neither married nor lovers. When Minerva's husband died fifty-five years ago she decided never to remarry. James was a muggle and was ninety-five when he passed away. Not bad for a muggle is it? Minerva adored him and never wanted anyone else to take his place.

I also loved and lost but much earlier on in my life. When Minerva and I turned one hundred and thirty years old we struck a deal. As we were hardly about to elope to marry someone we decided to keep each other company. She is my companion and my most trusted confidant. You have witnessed it through the years that Minerva has been equally concerned about you as I have been and together we have done our best to guide you in the right direction and to reach the potential we know you can if you only set out for it."

The old wizard smiled affectingly at the young witch, "but don't tell Molly Weasley this. We very much enjoy her confusion on this thing as she never knows if she should invite just me or if she should invite Minerva as well for her yearly Christmas dinners."

"I won't mention it to anyone," Emma answered smirking wickedly and looking over the wondrous view of the castle.

Suddenly Albus Dumbledore looked to where Logan and Emma were standing and for a moment it looked as if the old wizard could see the two who were observing a mere memory from over three years passed. The two friends looked at Dumbledore and then at each other with question in their eyes before quickly taking a few steps back from the memory.

Emma noticed that Dumbledore was squinting his eyes and staring at on spot deep in thought.

"Is something the matter?" Emma asked warily, her guardian's strange behaviour making it obvious that something was amiss.

"Did you see them as well?" Dumbledore murmured before turning his head towards her with question in his eyes. "I would be certain but I didn't take the correct glasses with me this time I'm afraid."

"I didn't see anything, who did you see?" Emma asked and inched closer to the spot where Dumbledore had been staring at.

"It was nothing my dear, the light fooling my eyes. It happens often at my age," Dumbledore said friendly and pointing further down the hill where deer were grazing.

Emma's attention snapped towards the animals and she became engulfed in their behaviour. The old wizard had counted on that, it gave him an opportunity to look back at the spot to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Most curious, most curious indeed," Dumbledore said to himself just before the vision faded. Emma and Logan's conscience returned back to the cabin.

"I always knew that Albus had seen something but I would never in a million years would have guessed it was me; us that he saw. I always thought it was completely impossible."

"I know what I saw, that old man saw us. That's for sure. I thought you said that no one could see us in the pensive." Logan said and lunged back on the old, beaten sofa.

"No one can, it's a memory and therefore it is just impossible. Seems Dumbledore's knowledge is endless when it comes to finding loopholes or gray areas," Emma replied with a mixture of awe and adoration in her voice.

"You speak about Dumbledore as if he is a god or something. I haven't noticed our students talking that way about us here at Xavier," Logan questioned.

"In a way Dumbledore became the leader of the good forces in the magical world. For a while some refused to listen, more out of fright of having to admit what was going on in the world than anything else. Hogwarts was Dumbledore's lair; the students coming from there had undying respect for him. Some more than others of course."

"You and your friends were in the more section I guess." Logan grinned, knowing that Emma never did anything half way. It was either all or nothing with the witch.

"Indeed, us and many others." Emma replied and then looked out the window. "its pitch black outside, I hadn't realized how late it was this time around."

"Its way after midnight," Logan said, "let's just crash here tonight and go to Xavier's in the morning."

Emma looked around the room at the lone, very small cot and was trying to find a way to explain herself without sounding like too much of a prude.

"Ummmmm..."

"Don't worry kid. You get the cot and I'm gonna get the sofa."

"But ...?" Emma fought back not wanting Logan to have to sleep on the small sofa all night long. He was big and it was only fair that he would use the only comfortable bed in the cottage. Plus there was a slightly embarrassing factor of having to watch him walk around half naked before going to bed. Emma was certain that Logan wouldn't put on pajamas for her sake, she had startled him enough times in the nights to understand that Logan thought wearing boxers was an overkill.

"Kid, it's my cabin, my rules. Ok?" Logan glared at her to shut up as he never liked it when she tried to fight him on every little thing. Even a cot became a major issue with her when she was uncertain.

"Sir, yes Sir!" Emma said in a teasing tone as she knew she had just lost the battle. She hurried to get ready for bed and then snuggled onto the oddly comfortable cot. In only a few moments she was out like a light.


	18. Chapter 18

**Standard disclaimer stands.**

I have to admit that this one was fun to write. It is fun to have friends end up in a situation where everything can happen, then let them simmer a while and see what happens.

Nina Simone inspired the pace of this chapter. It's hard to stop to take a break when Sinnerman is playing :)

Thank you to all of you that read, review and favorite. It fuels the muse to know that I'm not alone out there … or should I say here?

* * *

Oh Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?

Sinnerman, where you gonna run to?

Where you gonna run to?

All on that day

Nina Simone - Sinnerman

* * *

Emma started awake from deep sleep and looked quickly around trying to understand where she was. It was pitch black around her hinting to her that it was the middle of the night. The little she did saw gave her no hint that anything was out of order. For a split second Emma was disoriented as she was clearly not in her bed at Xavier's, it took her a moment to realize that she was at Logan's cottage. That was soon cleared up with soft snoring coming from Logan where he slept on the living room sofa.

The witch pushed herself up on her elbows and decided to call for her wand that wasn't far away as she had tucked it away in the front pocket of her winter coat. She didn't want to stand up as she realized that she would wake up Logan that was sound asleep on the small sofa a few feet from the cot. Frankly she was surprised that he hadn't woken already as his sensitive hearing was usually very acute and under normal circumstances he would have woken up long before her. In reality the fact that he hadn't stirred made Emma feel that something was really amiss

"Accio wand," Emma whispered and reached out her hand into the darkness. Within a second she could feel the familiar touch of her wand, the old companion she had had since she was eleven years old.

There was that sound again, a deep alarming growl that vibrated the entire cottage and filled her with terror. She felt as if she was a child that was afraid of a monster from under her bed. A feeling she hadn't gotten since she was a little child. She tried to control her breathing and concentrated on what direction the sound was coming from.

"Logan?" she whispered trying to get his attention but he didn't wake up. Emma stumbled out of the cot and walked barefoot in the general direction of where the sofa was. She knew she had reached him when the back of her hand slightly brushed a hairy leg. It surprised her even more that the subtle touch hadn't been enough to awake Logan who usually was always on high alert.

The deep growing sound boomed through the cabin, the only difference was that this time it was deeper and even more menacing than before. But it didn't scare her off; it terrified her but she wouldn't run off for cover without knowing if Logan would be safe. There could be a wolf or a bear outside the cottage in rage. Emma had no idea how to tackle those kinds of creatures and needed Logan to wake up to help her. He had much more experience when it came to dealing with animals.

Logan would never leave her alone somewhere where potential danger was around, that much she did know about her friend. He would do the same for her hundred fold over, of that she was positively certain. Emma took a deep breath and decided that she would just take one quick look to see if Logan was alright and his surroundings quiet.

If everything seemed more or less in order, she would back away and pretend nothing had happened. She tried to uplift herself by wondering if perhaps the Wolverine in him made these sounds in the night-time, but that couldn't be right? After all Logan was human, he behaved that way most of the times and was so far from being some kind of an wild animal

However they didn't sound like a content sleeping sound, they sounded like someone was struggling or about to go into fits of rage.

"Logan are you ill?" Emma whispered as she peered over his form after having a bit of her vision back as her eyes got adjusted to the darkness. The young woman settled her wandless hand on Logan's chest feeling how clammy it was with sweat and how his body laboured to get enough oxygen into the tired system. Logan's heart was beating wildly in his chest and she could feel the fluttering of his heart under her fingertips as they rested gently on his ribcage.

A few moments later she could hear the snarl again, filled with warning and menace that made the hairs at the back of her head stand on end. It was getting worse each second and she had to wake him up instantly before something bad would happen. Her hand on Logan's chest vibrated with the rumble and Emma stared with utter shock when she finally understood that the horrible sounds were coming from her friend.

"Lumos" Emma whispered needing to get some light to understand what was going on with Logan. A sharp light came from the tip of the wand that immediately filled the room and she squinted against the brightness to see his face and know if he was unconscious. After looking at him for an instant she realized that he wasn't unconscious but seemed to be deep in the throes of a nightmare, a common thing for him according to him. His brows were pulled together, the jaw was clenched and his teeth were grit in a snarl as sweat was dripping down his face and chest.

"Logan, wake up!" Emma said in a worried tone trying to get him out of the clutches of the nightmare but at no avail. She was familiar with how horrible nightmares could be and knew herself that she would want to be woken up if she was having a really bad one like Logan was dealing with at that moment.

"Logan you have to wake up!" Emma said louder moving her hand from his chest to push him in the side in an attempt to rouse him and save him from the terror that he was experiencing at that moment.

The deep growl rumbled again from his chest and his body twitched in defence to her touch as if her hands somehow burnt him by the touch. Finally he began to wake up to her touch, just not in the way Emma had hoped.

"No!" Logan finally yelled loudly while still very much in the clutches of the nightmare. The powerful mutant sat up like a bullet and the unmistakable sound of metal grinding on metal came from his knuckles as the huge adamantium claws shot outward.

Emma had realized too late that she had to get away from him. As soon as she had heard the metal sound she had been struggling to get as fast away from him as humanly possible. One didn't have to be a wizard to know that sound coming from Logan bode ill for those around. Emma turned quickly away as in an attempt to get away from the sofa and into some shelter far away from Logan.

That being said, Emma didn't have a chance in the world against the Wolverine, especially when it was in the clutches of a soul crushing nightmare where he the only alertness that was on was the animal side.

Emma turned her back on Logan and tried to scuttle away from him, not fast enough it seemed when she could feel Logan sitting up next to her and roaring with the terror of the nightmare. A few more steps and she would get to the door Emma thought as she tried to break away from the looming danger.

Nonetheless she yelped stunned with sharp pain as the adamantium claws nipped into her upper shoulder and burnt her with red hot pain all the way down to her hip as the metal tore through fragile flesh. Before her mind registered what was going on her instinct had kicked her in making her rush off the cot and run out the front door and into the darkness.

Her bare feet didn't register the thick layer of snow all over the property, nor did her brain feel the freezing cold that had already started to bite into her skin as she was only wearing pyjamas. Emma had no idea where she was going, her instinct simply told her to run and she followed it without a thought and clutching onto her wand for dear life.

* * *

Logan woke up with a start with a roar on his lips and his claws ready to defend him from any attack imaginable. He had been struggling in the midst of one of his reoccurring nightmares that always ended with him waking up remembering nothing but water, cold and pure terror. His mind was still in the shackles of the nightmare and it took him a long time to get his breathing down enough to calm down enough to look around.

The cabin was dark and eerily quiet considering that he was not supposed to be alone that night. Emma had fallen straight asleep at the cot, almost as soon as she had dressed in those ridiculous cartoon pyjamas that she insisted on wearing. However looking around the cabin Logan couldn't see any sign of the kid, she wasn't at the cot and his sharp hearing didn't register her movements within the cot.

Logan's eyes were sharper than most mutants and he had a razor-sharp night vision that had often served him well. The front door was wide open and Emma's scent was quickly leaving the cottage. Momentarily he was relieved that the kid had gotten away from his nightmarish hell until the scent of blood reached his nostrils. It was not his blood; Logan had stopped noticing the scent of his blood a long time ago. He looked down on his claws in dread and got a sick feeling to his stomach when he saw the blood smudged on his claws. He sniffed the blood to verify what he already knew; the scent had the same cinnamon scent that he always associated with Emma.

"Oh shit," Logan hissed with a pang of regret as he pulled the claws back swiftly into his hands with a loud sound of metal sliding against metal. No sooner than the claws had retracted he was running out of the cabin to track Emma down. Logan's mind was an ocean of confusion as he tried to wrap his mind around what had happened before he had woken up. He was more than a little upset and worried about Emma who had ran out like a terrified animal that had been severely injured. Logan knew too well what damage his metal claws could do to a person, he had sliced up enough people to know exactly how deadly they were.

It was obvious that the witch had been in too much hurry to hide her footprints in the snow as Logan could find her naked footprints immediately in the snow heading in the general direction of the dark forest. It immediately obvious to him that Emma had no real escape route in mind as she had run from the cottage; it seemed she had completely forgotten the direction of the mansion as her escape path was in complete opposite to the Xavier's. Even though Logan couldn't blame her for letting her instinct take over it still saddened him that he had injured her to the point that she in her state of terror looked at him as the enemy. The witch's instincts were spot on Logan admitted to himself but it saddened him that once again he had wounded someone he cared for.

As soon as he would find her he would do his best to lay those fears down, that he promised himself. Logan sniffed the air a few times; there was no need for him to look for her footprints her scent mixed with the blood beckoned to the animal in him as a beacon at night.

As Logan walked deeper into the dense forest he could hear laboured breathing from a distance that made his heart twist with guilt and pushed him to run even faster towards where he knew Emma was. Her tracks were very obvious in the deep snow, especially since she had often stumbled to the ground but always managed to drag herself upwards again. Stains of blood were scattered around but Logan did his best to ignore them as the look of them cut into him and filled his heart with guilt. She had not been thinking about covering her tracks that was quite obvious. Logan knew that Emma was fully capable of making it look as if she had never been there by using only a speckle of her magic. That she hadn't used her magic to do that gave him some hope that he could somehow help her and fix their friendship.

At last Logan spotted Emma huddled under a tree with her knees drawn under her chin and holding tightly onto her wand as if she expected the four horsemen of apocalypse. He felt nauseous looking at the kid so upset and in defence against him. Logan knew he had injured her but it still hurt to see one of the few people he liked huddled against a tree and so upset.

The only positive thing he could see from the situation was the fact that Emma was still alive and had gotten surprisingly as far away from the cabin meaning that she was less injured than he had first feared. Logan walked slowly towards her and deliberately made sounds loud enough to alert Emma of his presence.

Emma's head snapped in his direction at the sounds and she pointed her wand towards the sound before asking with a raspy voice that had a dark undertone that hit Logan right to the core. The cold, raspy sound of her voice called out, "who's there?"

"It's me kid," Logan replied trying to make his voice sound confident but cringing at the desperate tone that saturated his usual gruff tone. It was more than enough that her instinct was ready to kill whoever was stalking her in the middle of the forest. He needed to calm the situation down before the two friends would do even more damage to each other.

"Show yourself," Emma replied with a shaky voice trickled with suspicion as she pointed her wand in his direction. She murmured something under her breath that Logan didn't catch and a second later her wand gave off such brightness as if it were daytime and not the middle of the night.

The two friends stared momentarily at each other in total silence and Logan wondered why Emma hadn't blasted him with her wand as soon as she saw him. Logan stepped slowly a few steps closer to Emma and the cracking sound of the snow from under his feet broke the silence. Finally after what felt forever, Logan stood in front of her and crouched down to his knees making himself less intimidating to her.

"What happened before?" he asked forcing his voice to a soothing tone as if he were trying to calm down a terrified animal. Emma's eyes skittishly looked around before finally searching his and holding his gaze steadily as she answered, "I woke up to eerie sounds, you were having a nightmare and I tried to wake you up."

"Didn't quite work out to the way you planned?" Logan asked gently and watched as her wand arm started to shake alarmingly and betraying how upset she really was. Emma quickly turned from his gaze and hid her face under mane of curly hair but it didn't fool him, the scent of salty tears saturated the air around them. Logan shifted uncomfortably, tears were never something he could deal well with but at this moment he wished she'd rather bawl her eyes out than to look at him with wildness in her eyes that signalled that she might sprint away from him at any moment.

"No..." Emma sniffled confused and her dark eyes bore into his angrier than he thought she was capable at that moment. The kid had temper that was obvious in how she hissed out the rest of the sentence, "... not quite"

"Darlin just put the wand down. I'm awake now and I won't hurt you. You're safe with me," Logan said with more feeling than he thought possible from him. He would grovel for forgiveness later but first he needed to see how badly he had injured her.

Intellectually Emma knew that it was Logan and that he wouldn't raise a finger normally to hurt her. Same Logan as loved greasy hamburgers and to watch hockey every chance he got. But he also had huge metal claws that slice her in half as if she was warm butter and a part of her had a real difficulty putting that knowledge aside.

The desperate pleading in Logan's eyes finally persuaded her to relent and put her wand down by her side. Emma's instinct still roared at her to run but her mind stopped her as she remembered all the good times she had had with the mutant in front of her.

Logan released a breath that he hadn't known he had been holding as he watched Emma suddenly relax. To know that she had been thinking of blasting him again with that stick of doom hurt even if he deserved it. Last time when she blasted him, he flew almost through a reinforced concrete wall. Emma had told him later that certain spell wasn't that powerful after all so he had been curious to see what she would call a real blast. However now was not the time to explore her magical power or his resistance to injuries due to his mutant abilities.

He knew Emma was in pain in the way she shelter her side from touching the tree trunk. That came as no surprise but it had been a terrible accident, one that he would hope would never happen again. And one he was so grateful hadn't gotten worse than it did. He could have decapitated her on the spot and the look on Emma's face as she studied him made Logan realize that Emma knew that. She knew exactly how dangerous he was and when Wolverine came out to play people had to be careful or they would get a one way trip to the city morgue.

Logan sat down next to her resting his back firmly by the tree before snaking one arm around her and grabbing her into a tight embrace that showed just how worried he had been. Emmas reaction was colder than he had hoped for but she still didn't struggle to get out of his embrace. Logan took a deep breath and his nostrils filled with the scent of blood. The harsh reminder worked instantly to alert him to how close he had been to losing her.

"Don't you ever do something stupid like that again!..." he growled at her and feeling his temper flare.

"… if you ever see me having a nightmare then get out of the room, don't try to wake me and just get the hell outta there! I could have killed you!" he snarled, angrier by the second. No one knew better than him just how badly this could have ended and he shuddered at the thought. It might as well have ended with Emma dead in his arms.

"I know" she mumbled into his chest as she felt the fog of pure terror leave her mind as he engulfed her in a dominant embrace that told her just how afraid he was for her and how happy he was to find her in one piece.

"Em?"

"Mmh?"She murmured as her face was half-buried deep into his immense chest.

"How much damage did I do?" Logan asked quietly with a worried tone knowing he would go mad if he didn't know just how bad it was.

"Damage?" Emma asked in a haze as if she had no idea what he was talking about. Logan rolled his eyes and tried to control the impatience within him. The kid must be in some kind of a state of shock due to the incident before; he couldn't find any other explanation to her slow reflex.

"Yeah, when I got you with the blades, I saw blood when I woke up."

"It's all right Logan, I was more scared than anything" she mumbled sleepily into his naked chest not even noticing that the only pair of clothing he had on was the pair of boxers that he had slept in. He usually hated to sleep in any stitch of clothing but this time he was glad he had. A naked fiasco was not what he needed on top of everything else.

Logan ended the hug and pushed Emma's wand back into her hands.

"Logan what do you want me to do?" she asked curiously and looking more alert than a few moments before even though the colour had left her cheeks making her paler than usual.

In the magical world it was considered extremely rude to touch another person's wand as it was such a personal property. Even though it was strange that Logan had touched something so private, it wasn't offensive to her that he had done so and she couldn't understand why.

"Put that light on again, I wanna see where I got you" Logan said pushing her onwards as the blood scent was making him highly uncomfortable.

She put the light on and waited silently for his verdict. He scanned her body; finally his eyes settled four tears on back of her pyjama shirt. He couldn't see how much blood as the shirt was made from dark fabric. Logan reached his and out and prepared to peek under the shirt.

"Oi! What are you doing?" Emma asked angrily as her favourite pyjama stretched and tore to pieaces by Logan's tugging.

"Seriously?" Logan growled, "Your back probably looks like chopped liver and you wonder about the shirt that is already ruined!"

"Merlin" Emma gushed feeling vulnerable and slightly queasy at Logan's words.

"Don't worry about the scarring, Hank will do his best to stitch them up the best he can." Logan said before cutting her shirt open all the way down to her waist. He took a shaky breath before looking could see the scratches and cuts from fleeing him before and it made him disgusted in himself. He was such an animal that one of his closest friends had to look for shelter in a forest in the middle of the night because of him, and he had hurt her. It was only a miracle that it didn't go worse; he could have so easily killed her.

"How does it look?"

"It looks like shit kid." Logan grumbled angrily and felt the self-loathing almost smother him the longer he looked at the wounds and the blood that was smeared on Emma's alabaster skin. Furthermore he could see her starting to get dangerous tremors through her body as her skin got colder. He was not only worried about her wounds anymore but her feet that didn't seem to be getting good circulation after being naked for so long in the cold snow.

"Be still, I will take you to the cabin and from there we decide what to do," Logan explained to her and hoping that this time, only this time she would comply without too much of a struggle.

Emma ignored his outstretched hand as she pushed herself upwards and hissed with pain as she struggled to stand up. Logan glared at her angrily before stomping deeper into the forest. He hated himself for hurting her and Emma annoyed him beyond words for not wanting his help when he offered it.

He glanced back at the girl who was getting slower in her steps and a grimace of pain had etched her features. Logan sighed deeply, turned on his heels and walked swiftly up to Emma. Instead of spending time on fighting with the stubborn witch he took her by surprise as he grabbed her and threw her ungracefully over his shoulder before walking quickly towards the cottage not listening to her protests. He felt that she was responsibility now that he had injured her and he would do his best to make things right again after fucking up.

He thought back on a similar circumstance when he had had a nightmare and Rogue had come in to wake him without realizing the danger. Seconds later she had four adamantium claws embedded into her right lung. If not for her mutation of absorbing powers, that time Logan's healing power, Rogue would had died. Instead she almost killed Logan as she took away is essence momentarily and sending him into a coma for a few days. A fair trade Logan thought, after all he almost killed her. Now his only worry was to get Emma in one piece to Hanks infirmary to have the wounds stitched up. After that he and Emma could have a long discussion on their friendship and the level of trust that was needed for this unusual friendship to have a chance of survival.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing! Put me down right now," Emma hissed in a shrill voice before trying to hit him in the lower back with her weak fists. Logan ignored her protests and didn't put her down until inside the cottage where he was certain she couldn't do any further damage to herself.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** To remind me yet again that I don't own Logan or any of the other X-men no matter how much I would love to wrap them up and give Emma for Christmas.

First of all I want to apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. It's a long story that involves a nasty computer, crashed hard disk and a muse that got depressed and went AWOL.

However my muse returned not long ago and on we go. I'm not quitting until this story is finished.

Thank you all that reviewed, it really means a lot.

* * *

And so far she hasn't run though I swear she's had her moments

She still believes in miracles while others cry in vain

Billy Joel – All about soul

* * *

Logan didn't listen to the very angry witch that was seething that he was carrying her as if she was a damsel in distress. She had yelled, cursed and even tried to beat him even though the result was too weak to get much attention from Logan.

There was no way that Emma would admit to herself or him how much discomfort she was really in by being carried like a sack of potatoes. Her heart was beating erratically with the sudden anger that coursed through her body like wildfire and she hit his back with her fists causing her wand to fall to the ground not far from the cabin.

"You better put me down this instant! Bloody Neanderthal!" Emma hissed at Logan as he marched hurriedly towards the cabin in the snow.

"I'll put you down in one minute when we are inside the cabin. Don't wanna you to be on your feet in your state," Logan replied gruffly as he took a firmer hold of Emma's squirming form as she tried to escape yet again from his steely grip. His patience was running thin, it was like the kid was possessed and that she didn't understand that he was trying to help her get to safety as quickly as possible.

"Put me down now! I refuse to be treated like this!" Emma snarled, refusing to admit to Logan just how painful it was to be carried over his shoulder and how humiliated she was about the entire scene. The entire night had been one big disaster; nothing had gone the right way ever since she had woken up to Logan's growl earlier. The half naked man had slung her over his shoulder; it had been the simplest way to carry her without hurting her more than he absolutely needed. However hanging upside down was not helping Emma much with her discomfort. The blood was rushing to her heard with the way she hung upside down like a bat and it made her want nothing more than to be put down on the ground so she could try to control her stomach that was doing summersaults with every step that Logan took.

Logan grumbled something deeply and took an irritated, deep breath before he calmed down enough to answer her,_ "_I'm trying to help you kid, I'm trying to make things right and I don't need you to behave like a brat about it."

As for an emphasis he smacked her ass with his hand shocking and infuriating her further. No one had ever dared to spank her, not even when she was a young child and it made her absolutely livid and completely incapable of understanding that the gesture was made out of familiarity and not out of spite.

"Don't you dare patronize me you bloody oaf," Emma snarled as Logan walked in the door of his cottage. At that moment anger was a much more preferable option than giving in to the pain that was burning in her wounds making her want to scream and never stop.

Logan didn't realize until too late that the witch had lost control of her temper; patronization was indeed a perfect way to piss Emma off in microseconds. Her school mates from Hogwarts would have been able to testify to that she had pride in abundance and very little control over her temper. Those two character flaws were not a good mix as her friend was about to find out.

When Logan had walked a few paces into the living room he felt too late that something was off with Emma who had suddenly stopped screeching and was completely silent for the first time since he had offended her by carrying her to the cottage. The burning cinnamon scent attacked his nostrils only a split second before a surging current of electricity seared through his body and nailed his feet stuck to the floor where he stood.

An instinct made him grab his load even tighter only fuelling Emma's pain and the wild magic that cracked in the air like electricity. Logan was zapped again with uncontrolled magic; that time Emma unintentionally used even more juice that would certainly have killed any normal person. Logan was not prepared for the immense power that paralyzed his neural system in a few seconds.

His large body gave way and he crashed down to its knees. Logan stubbornly held Emma even tighter to him, refusing to let her go even though he knew the pain would disappear as soon as she would be freed of him. As Logan's burly arms tightened around Emma's torso in a metal lock she gave up fighting her pain. The anger disappeared as her mind registered the surging pain of her wounds and replaced the anger with white, hot pain.

"Can you stop being a fucking bitch so I can help you?" he yelled shaking her, seemingly getting ready to throw her into the next wall to make her stop the attacks.

Hearing Emma groan with pain awoke Logan from his fury and he carefully let her go. Emma didn't wait a moment but quickly scurried a few back if she wasn't sure if he would punish her for what she did to him. Even though her actions had not been on purpose she had could have easily killed him none the same. Logan seemed to agree with Emma's assumption as he glared at her angrily while his nostrils flared showing just how fuming mad he really was.

He got up slowly and cat like, assessing Emma as if she was his potential pray and rattling the witch in the process. Emma knew herself that she hadn't gone a little bit over the line; she had sprinted past it into uncharted territory.

Then again so had Logan.

Finally it was the scent of Emma's blood that helped Logan to rip himself from the rage that welled within him as he spat at her, "if you ever do that again I will kick your ass."

"And if you ever manhandle me again, I will burn your whiskers off," Emma sneered doing her best Severus Snape impression and failing miserably. Her bravado was diminishing fast as dark spots started to swim around in her eyesight, a telltale sign that she wasn't far from losing consciousness and that she desperately needed to be seen by a doctor.

One of Logan's eyebrows shot up in surprise as if he could not believe what she had just said. Then before she could say anything else Logan chuckled humourlessly, "kid if I ever get you with my claws again you can do a hell of a lot more to me than burn my chops."

The witch didn't reply to him as her face turned ashen before his eyes as if the last drop of her body had suddenly disappeared. Her eyes seemed to darken in contrast to the ghostly complexion that donned her skin.

"Em?" Logan rumbled warningly and when he didn't get any response he moved towards her taking in three strides the whole length of the living room to where she was standing. It had been no secret to Logan that at some point the kid would go into shock; he had hoped that he could get her to the mansion before that would happen. That wouldn't happen, he would need to get Hank to the cottage as soon as possible.

No later was he by her side than Emma's legs started to shake from under her and her pupils widened dramatically showing the distress her body was under. In one fluid move Logan grabbed her into his arms and walked her towards the cot that she had been sleeping on earlier that night. He could see pearls of sweat rolling off her forehead as she struggled to stay alert and focus her confused eyes on his face.

He was already worried that the shock was hurting her more than he had. By the look on her pale face it was not hard to see that she wasn't far from passing out and that it was just plain stubbornness that was keeping her still somewhat alert. In some ways Logan wished she would so he could move her easier without causing her more pain.

"Lay down on the cot, face down," He ordered leaving no space for protests and for the first time that day, Emma did what he asked and that in itself was a miracle as far as Logan was concerned. Almost immediately she stared to feel better, the spots started to disappear. She did not feel great but at least she was conscious and alert.

He went and got a towel before sitting down beside her and moved her hair to one side before carefully moving what was left of the t-shirt he had already cut to pieces in the forest.

Logan stared in horror at the three gashes that started by her shoulder and ended by her hip. He had seen them in the forest but seeing them indoors made everything suddenly feel so real and he had to suffocate a sudden need to run from it all. The beast within tended to opt for running when something went bad in his private life and injuring a friend was high on the list for running. The human side of him seemed to agree with the wilder side but he couldn't even if he wanted to. At least not until he would see to it that Emma would get the help she needed. After that he could do whatever he wanted.

Logan reached out and started to dry the blood carefully away to see better what they were dealing with. Emma flinched and hissed in pain as soon as the rough material touched her wounds.

"Hang in there kid, I have to see how deep they are," Logan said as he focused on cleaning the bright red liquid the best he could without hurting her too much. She hissed with every touch but she didn't complain aloud and for that he was grateful. It was selfish but the guilt was eating him up inside. Emma wasn't Rogue and was unable to draw in his powers as his pseudo daughter had been able to do to save her life. How he wished that Emma had that power, it would have made things so much easier.

"They are not deep enough to have caused as much of a damage but you'll need stitches. A lot of stitches," Logan grumbled in a serious tone as he continued his work. The wounds were relatively clean and the claws had cut straight through her skin but luckily not too deep to damage any internal organs.

He felt like an animal watching her sliced up like that after him, "look kid, I'm sorry. I would never want you to get hurt."

Emma sighed and turned her head and watched him from the corner of her eye. "I know, it's my own fault. It's ok Logan. Sorry about that whole magic thing."

"I'm gonna call Hank and get him to come here," Logan grumbled not wanting to fight with her even though he really wanted to tell her where she could shove her apology. She had nothing to apologize for.

"Does he know about the cottage?" she asked stunned remembering what Logan had once said that no one knew.

"He will now," Logan said seriously and when he saw that Emma was going to protest he said, "It's the least I can do Em, Hank won't tell anyone."

Logan grabbed his much hated cell phone and called Hank's number get the residential doctor to come to the cabin. He had no choice; the kid needed stitches and probably a lot of them. There was no way he could travel with her in the shape she was in, so it was a choice between getting Hank to the cabin or calling the professor and asking for the Blackbird to fly to the end of the property to his little cabin. The second suggestion was not needed, Emma was not dying.

"Hank. Emma got injured, will need stitches. Possible shock. Ask Chuck for directions to my cabin and come right away," and with that her ended the conversation and stared at Emma with concern as he saw her float in and out of consciousness.

"Hang in there kid, Hank is coming." He said more to reassure himself than her as he covered her in a thick blanket to keep her warm until the doctor would arrive.

* * *

It didn't take Hank a long time to reach the cabin and to Logan's surprise he didn't ask many questions. Perhaps it was quite obvious what had happened, after all everybody in the mansion had heard of how he almost killed a student and the three claw marks on Emma's back were not something he could deny were his making.

The look on Hank's face was filled with surprise when he saw the extent of injury and later understanding as he saw Logan pace back and forth in the little room plagued by the worries that leaned heavily on his mind. After injecting Emma with pain medications Hank started to clean the wounds and begin the long process of stitching her up.

Meanwhile Hank was sowing Emma up; Logan went out for a much needed smoke and stood in the door watching as Hank finished the stitching. He had gotten dressed before Hank came over, somehow he knew there would be even more questions if he would still be wearing his boxers when the blue mutant would arrive.

"There will be most likely quite obious scarring. I hope that won't bother you too much?" Hank said in a chatty tone to Emma who had awoken in middle of his stitching and had hardly uttered a word since that time. She had been staring into space most of the time not uttering a word. At Hank's comment her eyes found Logan by the doorway and noticed that his gaze was glued on her face studying her intentely.

Emma could see an intense look that Logan had on his face and a warm feeling spread at the pit of her stomach to see him so concerned about her. She knew he was worried sick. The way he had fuzzed over her was a huge sign of his worries. Logan never fussed like a mother hen over anyone and it was strange for her to have witnessed to see that side to his personality.

Logan was experiencing something odd as well. Hearing Hank's words he realized that Emma would forever be marked by him, that forever she'd be his possession. Oh yes the beast loved that thought, the animal in him saw it as a natural thing to mark the ones he owned. Seeing Emma accepting the news of the scars with a stoic calm made the beast within want to roar in earnest at the primal feelings that were coursing through his body.

As a warm twinkle sparked her eyes while she studied Logan intently and he felt a white hot emotion go through him. It took him a few moments for his mind to register the emotion and when Logan did he groaned inwardly and leaving the doorway immediately before the kid would notice what was going through his mind. It was hot lust, seeing the kid marked so by his claws made him want to take her right there on the cot and mark every inch of her as his.

At the same time he felt disgusted in himself for feeling aroused for marking Emma like that. In his mind a lustful image came up of him licking and nipping at her scars, the mere thought made his pants tighter and a frustrated growl come out of his throat.

A little while later Hank finished his work and Logan quickly managed to convince him that he should return to the mansion with Emma in his car. The two men agreed that none of staff or students should know about what had happened that night. Of course Xavier already knew after Hank's need to get frantic directions from Xavier to get to Logan's cabin that morning.

However neither Emma nor Logan wanted anyone in on why they had been sleeping overnight in a cabin that hardly anyone knew about. Some things they just wanted to keep private, their friendship was something they didn't want anyone to know too much about. They didn't understand the strong bond they shared and having other people sticking their noses in (namely Ororo) wasn't something they craved.

Hank and Emma had left the cabin to return to the mansion. Emma had left her torn pyjamas at the cabin after Logan had given her some of his clothes to wear. His old sweatpants, t-shirt and flannel shirt looked so alien on the witch that on any other occasion he would have laughed seeing her wearing clothes that she would never wear otherwise. He also knew that he would have to go pyjama shopping since he destroyed her other pair, it was the least he could do and it would be like a peace offering.

Logan was struggling with his upset mind when he finally got the privacy to think about what had happened and what could have happened. Guilt was tearing him up inside as he felt the tantalizing scent of Emma's blood constantly in his nostrils that only confused him further. He wouldn't fool himself; it was pure luck that he hadn't killed Emma in his sleep as he fought his nightmare. After nearly killing Rogue in a very similar way Logan was upset with himself as he wondered what would have to happen for him not to react in that manner. On top of having scared and scarred Emma for life he felt disgusted at himself for the emotions he had felt when watching the claw marks on her back.

He liked the little witch but at the same time he was worried where their fragile balance of friendship was heading. After the burst of lust that had burst through him like wildfire he was worried that one day he might want something more than the witch would ever be willing to give to anyone. Even though Emma was mature in many ways it was obvious that she didn't have casual relationships, she hadn't dated anyone since arriving at the mansion and Logan was never interested in anything that could potentially tie him down. Plus she was a friend and Logan would never jeopardize a friendship because of sex, that's what the barfly's were for.

When he had stared at her with blatant want the kid had stared at him back with total inexperience that had rattled him to the core. Logan was so used to women lusting after him that having a platonic friendship was tricky, especially now that he was discovering that Emma was not the little girl he had tried to make himself believe she was. Sure he had noticed her hourglass curves as any hot-blooded man would have, but his mind had never gone as far as connecting the dots between that desirable body and the kid he so enjoyed hanging with.

Watching the marks on her back had changed something primal within him. It had been the first time in a long time that the beast within him had woken up and liked what it saw. Logan's instinct told him not to try anything, ruining such a special relationship on an account of primal lust was not an option. Not even when the beast wanted to mark her as his own as was its instinct.

Logan would never do anything that Emma didn't want but it wasn't in his mentality to lust for someone that seemed so indifferent to those emotions. Logan had enjoyed the unusual friendship that had grown between the two unusual people and he didn't want his hormones to get in the way. He was way too old to behave like a horny teenager.

"Goddammit!" Logan hissed to himself as he raked his large hands through his wild hair. These thoughts had to _s_top, if not he would do a runner as he always did when things went down the toilet. He couldn't do that if he wanted to find out about his past and most part of him didn't want to either.

There was one solution to the predicament, forget himself in the arms of another. That wasn't difficult. Logan had a few willing ladies that were more than willing to spend time with him and distract his mind.

He quickly grabbed his jacket and headed out the door. Even though it was early morning it wouldn't be a problem to find what he was looking for, a momentary solace from his mind and the thoughts that were driving him up the wall.

* * *

"Have you seen Logan today?" Emma asked Ororo quietly at dinner two weeks after the incident at the cottage.

"Scott asked him to change the oil on the cars, that way he's out off our hair for a while since he's been driving us all crazy lately," Ororo said pointing towards the very obvious foul temper that had tortured the Wolverine for a while.

Emma turned to walk away and was stopped by Ororo's hand taking a hold of her arm, "is there anything you want to talk about Emma? Did something happen between you two?"

"Ruffled feathers, nothing too bad," Emma replied vaguely even though thankful that someone was concerned enough to ask. She liked Ororo a lot but she was the gossip queen of the house and Emma was not ready to let the entire house know what had happened between her and Logan.

"All right Emma, remind him that Scott meant the bike ask well," Ororo said grinning and waved as Emma left the kitchen to go to the garage.

Logan had been snappy, angry and sarcastic to whoever was stupid enough to come close. Worst was it when the residential witch came into the same room as he was everyone noticed how Logan bristled and a wild look appeared into his eyes as he looked to an exit away from her.

For a while Emma tried to understand why Logan felt so uncomfortable around her. Talking to Xavier had made her understand his extreme reaction a little bit better. He had told her about a time when Logan had accidently gorged Rogue through the chest as she tried to wake him up. If it hadn't been for her unique mutation she would have died within moments.

A rational part of Emma tried to explain Logan's reaction that it was a perfectly reasonable reaction it to the whole claw in her back incident, however a small part of her couldn't help feeling a little bit hurt at how he was behaving. It was understandable that he had freaked out at that but the way he looked at her after that made her want to spit with anger. The patience she had tried so hard to keep was disappearing at a record time and every time she had seen him in the last couple of days she had wanted to strangle him.

The only real sign of Logan's presence since she got the stitches had been that he had returned her wand the same afternoon as they returned from the cabin. Emma had dropped the wand outside in the snow when Logan had been carrying her back inside the cabin and couldn't retrieve it as Hank had been breathing down her neck the entire time until he drove her back to the mansion after patching her up.

However Logan had made sure that Emma had been sleeping before sneaking into her room and silently pushing the wand under her pillow where her usual hiding place was for it in the night time. Emma hadn't noticed a thing until late in the evening when she woke up with one arm under her pillow clutching onto her wand as if it were a child's security blanket. In a way it was, she had been sleeping with the wand under her pillow since she was eleven years old.

As Emma opened the garage door she could hear a loud metal clamour in one corner and Logan cursing like a sailor. The cursing had been because of her, she was certain of it.

She was correct in her assumption; if Logan's attention span would have been more alert he would have heard Emma long before she reached the garage. Instead he had been surprised by her arrival and by the sound of her determined steps she meant business. Emma headed towards him and sat down close to Logan without getting into his space. He glared at her and then continued to work on the bike hoping she would just go away but knowing deep down that she wouldn't do that, she was way too stubborn to back down in a fight with him.

"Are you gonna talk to me or continue to ignore me?" Emma said stiffly after a while, not being used to Logan treating anyone like that, especially not her. She missed him, missed his friendship and solidarity. Without him life at the mansion was dreadfully boring and bland.

"Pick one," Logan replied coldly trying to get her to leave him alone. It was not the injury that had spooked him so much even though he didn't like it at all that he had hurt her. No it was the lust he had felt when he realized that the witch would bear his scars for the rest of her days. For that reason he had kept away as he felt awkward and ill at ease to have felt that way about her. He had done his job and then left every night to drink, fight and womanize to distract his mind.

"Who's being a pansy now?" Emma asked icily knowing full well that she would get under his skin with using his favourite word for the losers in his life. One of Logan's favourite pansies was Scott and then basically the rest of the world followed after Cyclops in line alphabetically.

Logan felt his temper flare up and before he knew it he had slammed the wrench he had been holding next to him and sat up to glare at the woman sitting close to him.

"I ain't being a pansy and you don't have to throw shit at me to get me to talk to you. That is not a very good idea with a feral mutant. Not even if you are a witch," He spat and glared at her from under furrowed brows. He wanted to make peace with her too as he missed Emma but she was rubbing him in all the wrong ways with her aggressive behaviour as it flared up the guilt that had been chewing on his guts ever since that incident. Logan felt like shit for trying to stay away from her and obviously she wasn't too happy about it either.

Emma realized that the plan wasn't working; it was only pushing him further away. If she would continue to push he would distance himself even further, she was certain of it. It was time to change her strategy; obviously aggression wasn't working so sweetness was the next step in the plan. She had to behave kindly and find out what the hell was warping his mind so much that his instincts had taken over and made him run from her like that.

"Look I know you feel guilty about the whole claw thing but you don't have to be. I know I was stupid and should never have tried waking you up. I should rather apologize for putting you in an impossible situation."

Emma looked at him with serious, dark eyes with a look that was so apologetic that it pulled at his heartstrings. He realized how much he had been hurting her by staying away and he felt a pang of regret hit him in the chest. Logan sighed deeply in defeat and at that moment Emma knew that the worst was behind them. The drama was over, at least about the claw incident. There would probably be other dramas; it was just in their nature to blow up on occasion.

"It was an accident kid, we both fucked up," Logan finally offered and couldn't help chuckling at the smile that tugged at her lips and the joyful sparkle that lit in her eyes at the peace offering. They might be two weirdoes but at least they had each other friendship and understanding even if they wanted to strangle each other on occasion.

"Is the big, bad Wolverine saying that he won't be running from me anymore as if I were a cave troll of some sorts?," Emma drawled in her English accent obviously poking fun at him for all the escape attempts he had made over the last weeks.

"Not for a while at least. Not until the next time we fight," Logan replied chuckling happily enjoying seeing her visibly relax and scoot next to him. Logan put an arm around her and carefully embraced her in a friendly hug but was very cautious not to squeeze her too hard as he didn't know how she was healing.

"How are they healing?" Logan asked while squeezing her a bit, burying his face in her curly hair and tried his best to quiet the beast that was very much smug about the whole thing. If the friendship was ever to survive Logan had to ignore his feral instincts about claiming her as his. Friendship is better became a mantra in his mind as he tried to fight a possessive growl in his chest at the way his nose was attacked with the scent of her hair as he held her. He quickly pulled away and lit a cigar for distraction.

"The cuts?" Emma asked and got a nod of acknowledgment from Logan as he took a deep puff of his cigar.

"They are healing well, Hank is happy with the result so stop fretting," Emma replied as she noticed the worried crease between his eyebrows and worried hazel eyes that seemed to be studying her intently.

"They are my first scars and I'm quite fond of them," she said softly. It was true, having scars was a new thing to her but certainly not unpleasant. The experience had not been fun but the marks themselves were nothing she worried over.

"How can they be your first after all the shit you've gotten into?" Logan asked defensively.

"Magic potions and spells fixed me right up when I got injured at Hogwarts. Even though I couldn't use a healing charm to save my life there are many good healers out there," she replied.

Logan sighed, yet another thing he would feel guilty about, "You must hate me?"

"Hate you? It was an accident," Emma replied with a soft tone in her voice and reaching out with one hand to stroke his whiskered cheek tenderly. Logan swallowed hard not quite knowing what the emotions were that were going through his mind but knowing he had to get out of there and lick his own wounds in peace. There had been a complicated twist to the whole friendship thing that unnerved him to the core.

"I'm sorry Emma for the whole thing. You have no idea how I've beaten myself up over this whole mess," he admitted seriously being completely stunned how the kid could stand being around him after what happened.

"I know you are Logan and I have said it countless times that I am sorry too. Can we now move on? Are you taking me out this weekend?" Emma asked cheekily and winking at him while smiling mischiefly.

"Same time and place?" he rumbled happily and winked back at her. Logan got up and extended a hand to Emma where she sat on the floor, "come on kid, let's grab some coffee."

Emma smiled warmly and grabbed his large hand that dwarfed hers as he pulled her upwards. The weirdness was over, friendship reigned again and the witch couldn't have been happier with her life as she walked side by side with Logan towards the kitchen.

* * *

The next day when she woke up there was a plastic bag laying outside her door. Inside the bag were new cotton pyjamas, something that Emma knew were from Logan without another thought. The colour of them surprised her though as they were neon pink with cartoon figures splattered haphazardly across them.

A small note was in the bag in well. It was written in Logan's strong handwriting and like the man the writing was straight to the point, no frills to decorate his true meaning.

_Sorry for the other pair. These ones are ugly but easy for me to spot if in dark places._

_There is no way someone else at the mansion owns a pair of these._

_Logan._

Emma chuckled at his note. It was true; the pyjamas were not beautiful but the fabric was soft and seemed quite warm. After all she would only be using them to sleep in, not to go to cocktail parties. Emma knew she would treasure them; the giver was getting to be a key character in her life.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** Like always, I own nothing (but Emma) and I'm not getting any money.

Another update, yay! Its the longest chapter I have written so far. Its about the length of two normal chapters.

As before in other chapters, memories and flashbacks are with _italics_. That is done so the whole chapter won't blend into one big mess.

Thanks to my beta who worked hard on this one and has the patience of a saint.

Thanks for the reviews guys, its so much fun to get feedback from you.

**Coldie**

**CuriousOysters**

**sage1993**

**zenatjuhh**

* * *

Generals gathered in their masses, just like witches at black masses

Evil minds that plot destruction, sorcerers of death's construction

Black Sabbath – War Pigs

* * *

_Logan was in an old, tattered kitchen that was so clean that it didn't seem that the inhabitants had eaten there in weeks or months. The only mess was on the kitchen table that had astonishingly many empty beer bottles scattered all over. It didn't seem that Logan was interested in food either and that was good as the fridge had nothing but beer in it, that and a bottle of ketchup. He was bent down as he rummaged through the fridge looking for a beer type that suited his fancy. _

_As if sensing a presence behind him Logan asked, "Hey John, wanna beer?" _

"_Sure man, why not? We won't go anywhere for a few days so we can afford a little R&R," John replied casually as he crossed his legs on one corner of the table looking at ease. A smile tugged on his lips as he watched the bigger mutant curse as his head hit one of the shelves of the fridge in his enthusiastic hunt for Molson's. It was the beer of choice for the Wolverine; he had probably been drinking it since it went into production some seventy years before. _

_Logan shut the fridge, walked to the table and handed one beer bottle to John who was dressed in denim almost from head to toe as if he was heading off to a rodeo. The only non denim items were the black snakeskin boots he always wore._

_Logan lit a chewed old cigar and the two men drank in silence for a while until John asked, "Why didn't you go out?"_

"_Wasn't in the mood," Logan answered shortly. It was obvious that he had something on his mind; John seemed to know the man well as he didn't push him for answers but waited patiently for Logan to open up._

_Logan drank the bottle down in one gulp and then got up to get another one._

"_Another one?"_

"_Still working on my first one," John replied smiling at Logan who grumbled something back._

_As he sat down he asked John, "So where are the guys?"_

"_They all left a while ago. Needed to blow off some steam. How come you weren't with them, usually you're the first one out of here."_

"_Yeah well wasn't in the mood tonight."_

"_I hear ya; this mission was a disaster from start to finish."_

"_Yeah no kidding," Logan replied ruffling his hair and making him look even wilder that usual._

_John cleared his throat awkwardly before asking in a strange tone, "Were you thinking of cleaning up at some point?"_

_Logan stared at him with question before looking down at himself in surprise, his once white t-shirt was covered in blood and his cargo pants were no better._

"_Shit, I forgot," Logan said before taking a large swig of his beer showing how distracted he truly was._

"_No kidding," John grinned stealing one of Logan's signature comebacks. It lifted Logan's mood a bit as he had uncharacteristically been feeling sorry for himself. It was a very unusual trait for the Wolverine to sit and mope over missions. _

"_So you have been down here all evening drowning your sorrows?" John asked and looking towards the empty bottles scattered all over the table. The Wolverine had an incredible stamina for alcohol as displayed often when the team went out to the local pub. There wasn't anyone that could drink Logan under the table except for perhaps Victor Creed. _

"_Yep, nothing else to do in this shithole. I swear it's getting worse with every mission," Logan said bitterly and slamming the beer bottle on the table making beer foam float out of the bottle and onto the table._

"_They are not getting any easier that's for sure," John replied._

"_Don't you get tired of this John? The destruction and the endless killing of innocent people just so Stryker can get what he wants. We are his dogs, his army from hell."_

"_Of course I get sick of it Logan, I'm not a monster like Victor who seems to enjoy spilling blood and torturing men, women and children."_

_At his words Logan ground his teeth and a wild glint came to his eyes as if the mutant's words had brought back memories that he was not ready to discuss, as if some of the missions had cut him too deep. All of the men on the team were somehow mentally scarred after all the horrors they had seen, all that is but Victor who seemed happy as a clam. _

"_I've known Victor a very long time and the little human he had is fading with every mission. Soon I won't be able to stop him when he goes berserk," Logan admitted with a grumbling tone. It wasn't often that Logan admitted failure at something and it seemed to surprise John to hear him acknowledge it so freely._

"_That doesn't sound good for the rest of us. I´ve stopped counting how many times he has tried to kill one of us. I don't know what we would do without you."_

"_Get used to it, after next mission I'm leaving. It's enough, we've done enough," Logan said defensively. He had been thinking it over again and again over a period of few months and finally the last mission was the straw that broke the camel's back. Logan had gotten enough, he wouldn't take anymore of the living hell that was working as a missionary for Stryker. _

"_What about Victor? Think he will go with you?" John asked almost hopeful as wishing there were some sliver of hope that he could get rid of the wild mutant that Victor Creed was. It was obvious that he wasn't a big fan of Sabertooth, hell no one was. _

"_If he won't, then you'll have a big problem on your hands. But at least he won't be my problem anymore."_

"_No matter what, I'm glad we met Logan, even if it should have been under better conditions," John smiled and clinked his beer bottle against Logan's._

"_Ditto bub even if you were a pain in the ass most of the time."_

"_Aw man, why do you have to ruin everything with your mouth? We were having a moment here," John complained. Both of the men laughed warmly._

_The memory ended._

_

* * *

_

"You know what I hate about this memory stuff. It leaves me with more questions than I had before I knew anything," Logan said finally after been quiet for a while. There were few moments in his life that he felt tired mentally, just tired of the fighting to know who and what he was. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered to try to find the solutions. After fighting Charles Xavier for so many years to get to know what was in his mind he finally had a key to his mind. It was not Emma's fault that the process was going slowly or that he was getting impatient for answers. He had been impatient for answers for more years than Emma had been alive but somehow it felt like he was running out of time.

"I know but we must be doing some progress Logan. One day I'm positive that you will get your memory fully restored, or close to it anyway. I can't guarantee completely of course, you must understand," Emma said as she stood by the stove waiting for her coffee to get ready. She had already pushed some whiskey Logan's way and he was sipping on it while smoking a cigar.

"Do you remember anything about John?" Emma asked hopeful while pouring her cup of coffee half full with sugar. Sugar was her vice and it tasted the best with bitter coffee.

"Vaguely. I have a feeling he was a good man, I think I liked him but..." Logan quieted as if not certain about something before taking a large swig of his drink and chewing so hard on his cigar that she thought it would break in half.

"But what?" she inquired feeling curious and sitting down next to Logan by the kitchen table.

"He's dead. I don't know how I know that but I think he's dead," he said feeling sorrow about a loss of a friend he didn't even remember much. It was his gut instinct that told him these things and as always he knew better than to go against his nature.

"That's a real pity, I would have hoped you could have tried to find him to help you with questions about your past," Emma said with disappointment in her voice as she eyed her empty coffee cup wishing she had made a little more.

"Yeah well, that ain't gonna happen," Logan grumbled angrily at the witch for saying what he had been thinking himself. He had loved to think that John could have been out there but that wasn't going to happen, his intuition told him as much.

Emma didn't reply to his angry remark. She knew he was hurting and his frustration was understandable. Even though he was getting some answers it never seemed enough to quench Logan's thirst for his past, it would never be enough until his memory was fully restored. If she found some answers for him it would be certain that he would wonder what was behind the next corner. Even though Emma understood the impatience, it made it difficult to reach any conclusions as it irked him a lot that his whole past hadn't opened up to him in a few sessions.

After Logan finished his drink, he eyed her for a few moments without saying anything.

"What?" she questioned suspiciously wondering if he was going to talk more about his memory or push her for her own. It was childish to try to buy time from something she wanted herself, she wanted to face her past so she could move on.

"I'm waiting to see yours," Logan said and crossing his arms on his massive chest and quirking his eyebrow at her.

"I already put it in the pensive. Go check it out," Emma replied defensively and that was true. As soon as Logan had turned his back on her for moment she had extracted her memory and placed it discreetly into the pensive. This was not a memory she wanted to visit any time soon, not even if Logan was with her.

"How come you ain't gonna watch it with me?"

"Not this time, living it was enough," she replied shakily and pointed him in the direction of the pensive that was waiting for him. He walked over to it and looked in her direction. The memory had to be uncomfortable for her he understood as he watched her walking out to the veranda with a packet of cigarettes; it was a habit she hadn't indulged in for months while at the mansion.

Logan took an unconscious deep breath and pushed his face into the silvery mist of the bowl that was waiting for him to unpeel yet another layer of Emma's memories.

* * *

_Emma was fast asleep on a large four poster bed when Logan entered her memory. The bed had dark green curtains that were pulled back to reveal her sleeping form. A mahogany nightstand stood next to the bed and on top of it were a few books scattered about and a lit candle. Its light was enough to show that Emma had been exhausted when__ she had gone to bed, so much that she hadn't even bothered to take off her school uniform or to crawl under the covers for warmth. _

_It was obvious that Emma was still at Hogwarts as her attire was still the typical school uniform that Logan had seen often before. A long, black robe was draped unceremoniously over a chest that sat at by the bottom of the bed. _

_Logan looked around the room, it was large enough to hold many students but only Emma's bed was in there. The windows were few but quite large and curtained in silver drapes while the walls were covered with dark green tapestries that held images of large snakes. _

_Suddenly there was a loud tapping at her window, Emma didn't wake up immediately but groaned loudly and dug her head deeper into the blanket as if the sound would disappear if she did so. Just as she was about to drift back into deep sleep the tapping started again more insistent than before. _

_Emma cursed into her pillow before throwing her feet off the side of the bed and grudgingly getting up. As soon as her feet touched the cold stone floor she jumped back grabbing a pair of sneakers to protect her feet from the cold dungeon floors. _

_While she was putting on her shoes the tapping intensified as if whoever that was on the other side was getting very impatient. _

"_Bloody hell I'm coming!" she growled while stomping to the window, ripping the curtains away and tearing the window open. Her hair was unbound and her large curls were pointing in every direction showing exactly how fresh out of bed she really was. _

_Outside, in the darkness, waiting for her sat a majestic red and yellow bird with a letter wrapped around its right leg. The bird was watching her intently as if it knew her and that she had taken way too long in answering to its rapping._

"_Fawkes! What in Morgana's name are you doing here?" Emma breathed surprised and reached out a hand to stroke carefully the bird's beak. Its black eyes bored into hers for a moment before it screeched loudly and lifted its foot to gain her attention to why it was visiting her in such a place as the Slytherin dormitory._

"_A letter for me? Since when does Albus use you as a messenger?"She asked the bird even though she knew there would be no answer. Albus Dumbledore never used his familiar as a messenger; it was way below a creature like a phoenix to go flying around with messages. _

_Fawkes seemed to agree with her that it was indignant as he screeched again in a complaint._

_Emma untied the envelope; ripped open Dumbledore's personal seal and pulled out a letter. As soon as she opened the letter a necklace fell out and onto the floor._

"_What the ...?" Emma mumbled before bending down and grabbing the necklace and pulling it into the light. It was an old necklace with a large sapphire and diamonds set around it on a gold pendant attached to a long gold chain._

_The confused witch opened her letter to find what Albus wanted so badly as to send her a letter instead of flooing her like he always did._

_My dearest child._

_I do not have much time to explain. The necklace was my mother´s, she cherished it and I hope you will think of me with love each time you wear it._

_I hope and wish you happiness in any endeavour you will face in your future._

_All my love_

_Albus_

_Emma read it again to try to understand what Dumbledore had been talking about. Meanwhile Fawkes was constantly nipping at her fingers as to encourage her to do something._

"_Why does he sound as if he's saying goodbye?" Emma asked aloud feeling bewilderment and turmoil within her at the cryptic message from her foster father. Something was very much off with the whole scenario. Why on earth would Albus say goodbye to her via letter rather than coming to her? _

"_Where is Albus? Fawkes can you take me to him?" she asked the bird. It was a known fact that the bird and the headmaster had a special connection no one really understood the depth of. The only way for others to beckon Fawkes was by being wholly loyal to Albus Dumbledore as Harry Potter had accidentally done in the Chamber of secrets. _

_The bird tilted its head at her voice and stared meaningfully at her. Emma repeated her question, "please, I need to make sure that he's all right."_

_Fawkes gave a shrill cry before turning around and flying off the ledge into the darkness. Emma stuck her head out the window and saw that the bird was flying gracefully in circles just outside as if it was waiting for her to follow. _

_Emma climbed out of the bedroom window that she had so often snuck out of when she was younger. No one would notice her leaving, that was the reason why Salazar Slytherin had chosen the dungeons and lower levels of the castle for his dorms. It definitely was a plus to be a Slytherin with a fantastic escape route when one wanted to get up to mischief as it often happened, especially for Emma who was so strongly bonded with the golden trio. She fell with a thump to the ground below and scrambled up to her feet uninjured. _

_Emma looked around trying to find where Fawkes was; finally she heard his cries and ran in the general direction of where she thought they were coming from. The school grounds of Hogwarts were vast and they felt even larger when she was running in the darkness. Many times she slipped and fell on the ground but never dared to turn on the light with her wand. She would be found out immediately if she did, either by Snape or Filch. If she would be found out it meant yet another detention with the bat of the dungeons that seemed to enjoy immensely to make her miserable._

_Fawkes flew to where the Astronomy T__ower was located, flew in large circles around the tower and made a piercing loud cry before disappearing into the night._

_Emma ran to the ground by the tall Astronomy Tower, there seemed to be a lonely figure lying on the ground._

_As she came closer she could see that it was Dumbledore's seemingly lifeless body, his face turned upwards as if he had been staring at the stars moments before he passed on. When she reached his body, she threw herself to her knees and put a hand on his shoulder as to try to shake him awake._

"_Albus! Are you all right!" she said sobbing when her mind realized that he was lifeless. Of course he was, a wizard his age wouldn't lay on the ground in the middle of the night stargazing no matter how odd he was. _

"_Oh Albus please wake up, I can't lose you too!" she cried even harder covering her face in her hands and hoping that it was just a nightmare, that she could wake up and everything would be as it should. Somebody had to come to help her. Minerva, she had to get her to come. Perhaps there was something that she could do, after all the old witch had been around the world for a long time._

_Emma finally decided to cast a Patronus Charm that would send Minerva a message of what had happened. The charm was in a nutshell positive energy that could be used as a protective shield against dark creatures like dementors or to send messages. It was impossible to forge as each witch or wizard had their own Patronus that they kept as private as possible in case messages would be intercepted it would be easy to find out who sent them by the animal the Patronus was. _

_The predicament with casting the Patronus charm was that in order to make a proper Patronus one had to think happy thoughts and under the strain Emma was under it was almost impossible to do so. Every time Emma tried to conjure one her mind blasted her with images of Dumbledore lying dead-like on the ground and nothing would happen. _

_Finally she managed to conjure one and a silvery ghostly shape glided out of her wand creating a small falcon that flew around her in circles as if it was awaiting orders from her. Emma looked around confused, how on earth could she describe the situation to Minerva without the witch thinking she was crazy. She finally took a shaky breath and spoke to the Patronus that was still gliding around her. _

"_Minerva, come to the grounds by the Astronomy Tower, something horrible has happened. Please hurry!"_

_The falcon flew towards the Gryffindor tower and would reach Minerva McGonagall in mere moments. Emma turned back to Albus and stroked his long white beard lovingly while tears flowed freely down her cheeks._

"_Emma!" an urgent voice, that Emma knew so well, shouted out to her a moment later._

_It was Harry and his voice was filled with desperation as he waved urgently for her to follow him. When she didn't he pointed down the hill towards Hagrid's cottage that was on fire. Dark clad figures surrounded the cottage and there was no mistake that they were Death Eaters. Seeing Draco Malfoy's almost white hair glimmering in the light of the fire verified that. _

"_Come, we have to catch them!" Harry shouted encouragingly and finally getting Emma moving. She took a few hesitant steps from Dumbledore but with each step she became more confident and together the two friends ran towards the slope. Hagrid's hut was quite a distance away and most of the way was downhill. They couldn't even apparate there as there was no way to do so on Hogwarts grounds, generations of Hogwarts headmasters had seen to those defences. _

"_Dumbledore... It was Snape!" Harry snarled out emotionally as they ran feeling winded but still wanting to catch their prey. They tried to be stealthy but their tired gasps echoed in the night and from time to time they stumbled in the darkness as they descended down the steep hill. _

"_He trusted him, he bloody well trusted him," Emma sniffed, feeling out of breath from all the running over the Hogwarts grounds. She was not the sporty type and never ran unless something was after her. Chasing Death Eaters was an exception from the rule, this time she was chasing someone. _

"_Slytherin snake, I knew he wasn't to be trusted and Dumbledore didn't listen," Harry snarled, anger taking over the sorrow he felt. Emma didn't even comment on his famous hate for the Slytherin house, this time the anger was justified, the head of her own house had murdered Dumbledore. _

_They knew they had been spotted when green and red sparks were shot at them from Hagrid's hut. Both of them shot out whatever curses they could think of. Practising with Dumbledore's army had helped a bit in preparing them for wizard duels. The difference was of course that Death Eaters never played fair, especially not in war. _

"_We have to get Snape, he can't get away," Harry shouted with his Gryffindor courage, always ready to throw himself into danger. Emma was starting to second guess his plan, it would go wrong somehow. It always did and she wasn't really interested in things going wrong when Death Eaters were concerned. Her instinct roared at her to get away before it was too late but her friendship with Harry and the trio stopped her. There was no way she could leave him and then have it on her conscience if something bad happened to him. _

_The Death Eaters were more than Harry and Emma had realized at first glance. A few of them had been waiting by Hagrid's hut while Dumbledore had been murdered and now they were disappearing one by one through portkeys. As the two friends reached closer to the hut they saw the last of the Death Eaters disappearing into thin air as their portkeys pulled them away. The only two people that were left were unfortunately Snape and Bellatrix Lestrange. Unfortunately for the two teenagers as both were well known for their viciousness in wizard duels. _

_Snape looked still like the teacher she had loathed all the years at Hogwarts. Even in the still night, mere moments after killing Dumbledore, he looked as if nothing was out of the ordinary and that he was just on an evening stroll. That was to say if one did not notice his wand arm that was raised in defence against his students. That didn't shock the two friends, after the events of the evening they were beyond startled as their world had trembled and a parental figure for them both was gone from their lives._

_It seemed that even the famous potion master indulged in foolish wand waving from time to time, especially as the famous boy who lived sent one curse after another his way. Harry's intent was clear, he intended to strike Snape down, how he would do that or what the consequences would be did not matter to him. He was simply ruled by immense hate that narrowed his peripheral vision down into only Snape, nobody mattered beside their hate filled standoff._

_Meanwhile Emma was face to face with Bellatrix Lestrange who was circling Emma as if she was her prey and in a way Emma was. The difference between the two was too much for a fair fight and the older witch knew that. Her mad laughter crackled in the night air as she skipped closer to Emma. _

_On a handful of occasions, in unavoidable skirmishes connected to the trio, Emma had been unfortunate enough to see Bellatrix Lestrange. Nevertheless Emma had never had the displeasure of standing mere five feet from Draco Malfoy's insane aunt. _

_Bellatrix had probably been attractive once, her bone structure was fine and elegant, hinting at an aristocratic family blood. Her long, frizzy black hair made a stormy mass that surrounded her face emphasizing the fact that something was really off with the witch. Even though her choice of wardrobe wasn't too nice it was still a known fact that witches and wizards alike, dressed with exuberance rather than style. _

_What usually terrified people about Bellatrix were the big, wide black eyes that mirrored the ruthlessness that lived inside. Her reputation was terrifying to anyone who knew of her; even the most hardened Death Eaters went out of their way not to aggravate her. It wasn't only that Bellatrix was quick to anger or that she was completely ruthless when it came to lives of those around her. What put her in a special category was her admiration and love for Voldemort. She was so loyal to Voldemort that many of the Death Eaters were nervous to be around her because of the danger of the repercussions from the Dark Lord._

"_Look who we have here, one of Dumbledore's little lap dogs," Bellatrix said tauntingly at Emma who immediately sent a disarming spell towards Bellatrix. Experience in duels showed clearly as the older witch blocked the curse as if it were nothing. For a while, the two women sparred, attacking and blocking each other's advances without a hitch._

_It wasn't until Harry shouted out a curse she had never heard before that Emma's concentration fell momentarily and that was enough to open up an opportunity for Bellatrix._

"_Sectumsempra!" Harry roared and shot the unknown curse at Snape. Emma stared at Snape and wondered what would happen if he would be hit by the strange curse. Emma didn't see what the curse would do as Snape blocked it easily with an angry sneering face. Bellatrix was cunning and used Emma's momentarily hesitation and hit her with a curse that sent her flying into the air as if she was a ragdoll._

_Emma groaned in pain at the ache in her left arm when she landed with a sick cracking sound on the ground just by Hagrid's hut. The flames from the hut heated her body in the cold night air as if it were summer. She had to get up, if she wouldn't she would be the same as dead. Seeing Bellatrix advancing on her was the best kick in the ass she needed to get up from the ground and run behind the hut to give her a few seconds to try to find an escape plan for her and Harry._

"_Come out, there is no place for you to hide," Bellatrix sang as if Emma was entertaining her immensely with her escape._

_Emma decided to use the same curse as Harry had used only moments before, perhaps she would get luckier than he had. It was worth a try anyway. The weak curses that the D.A. had practiced were simply not potent enough when the adversary was Bellatrix Lestrange._

"_Sectumsempra," Emma mumbled as soon as she reached the corner and could see Bellatrix clearly. Bellatrix instantaneously howled with pain as the curse hit her abdomen, cut deeply into her flesh and instantly blood oozed out of her._

"_You muggle bitch!" Bellatrix yelled furious at Emma who was trying her best to hide from the infuriated woman who looked very Machiavellian in the light of the fire. _

"_I'm going to kill you," she rasped and clutched her abdomen while pointing her wand at Emma who was in shock over the damage her curse had made. Granted that Bellatrix deserved everything she got as she was a monster, Emma couldn't help wondering where one of the golden trio would have picked up such a curse. She looked around for Harry and finally noticing his unconscious body on the ground not far from her._

_If Harry was unconscious then where was Snape? _

_Emma's heartbeat got frantic with terror as she looked around anxiously trying to locate the bat of the dungeons, she was quite sure he was sneaking up behind her so she turned towards Hagrid's hut to look for the murderous potion master. There was no one there._

"_Looking for someone?" Snape's voice asked close and startling her into turning again to where Bellatrix was standing. Snape stood there with a calculating look on his face, "Petrificus Totalus."_

_Emma felt her body stiffen up, her legs and arms snapping together close to her body as if she was a mummy wrapped up in shrouds. The bounds of a full body bind made her body stiff as a board, seconds before Emma fell backwards, her body crashing loudly once again to the ground._

_Within seconds two faces entered her vision as Emma was forced by the bind to stare up towards the sky, not so different from how she had found Dumbledore by the Astronomy Tower. The faces were of course of Bellatrix and Snape who both had smug looks on their faces as they looked down at their latest victim._

_The woman lifted her wand, pointed to Emma's chest and said, "I'm gonna kill her for what she did to me."_

_Emma tried to move, scream, __do something, but her body wasn't obeying her as it was locked in the body bind. The only sign of her distress was a gasping breath that showed very well how terrified she was being under the mercy of two horridly dangerous Death Eaters._

_Snape turned to look at the woman next to him and said in a bored voice, "she can't harm you now, you need a mediwitch if you want to see another day in the service of the Dark Lord."_

"_I don't care Severus, avada ke..."_

_As she started uttering the killing curse Snape tore her wand out of her hands. It was a deed that simply was not done in the magical world; one never ripped a wand out of a witch's hand. It was considered the highest act of rudeness one could ever commit and very rarely was it seen in practise. That is to say, but from Death Eaters who did not care much about protocols of the rest of the world. _

"_Are you so dense as to kill her now when there could be witnesses to your actions? The Dark Lord commanded stealth not brute force. I hate to tell it to you but killing everyone in your path is not stealth. It's idiocy!"_

_Bellatrix winced in pain as she grabbed her wand back from Snape._

"_What do you propose we do then? Send her off her merry little way?" Bellatrix asked ironically taunting the potion master. They had always had a very strained relationship and rivalry was fuelling it on even further. It annoyed Bellatrix beyond words that Voldemort trusted and kept Snape so close when he could have had her as his right hand man. It had put seeds of distrust into her mind; she wanted to idolize Voldemort without being annoyed by Snape's presence. _

_Snape looked at Emma with cold eyes. She was trying to utter a sound, anything in hope to get away. It was obvious to her that whatever was coming her way was bound to be bad. That frosty look in Snape's eyes had never bided well for anyone, especially not his students or anyone else he disliked. _

_Snape lifted his wand and Emma knew whatever was coming had to be bad by the look of glee that filled the older woman's face._

"_Crucio," Snape drawled and immediately an immense pain filled Emma's senses. There was nothing but pain and no way to express it. Her teeth bit down hard on her tongue and metallic taste filled her mouth giving her only a momentary distraction from the pain. A few times did Snape hit her with the unforgivable curse and Bellatrix's laughter became louder and more erratic each time._

_Finally distressed shouts and hollers could be heard echoing in the distance from the Hogwarts grounds; Dumbledore's lifeless body had been discovered._

"_They have found the old crow, we better leave now if we don't want to be sent to Azkaban," Bellatrix said grinding her teeth in annoyance at the lost opportunity of torturing the young student._

"_Prepare the portkey; I will join you in a moment."_

_Bellatrix said nothing but grinned wickedly at Snape before slowly trudging off noticeably in immense pain after the curse she had received from Emma._

_Snape turned to Emma and said scoldingly, "This should teach you and the idiotic friends you have not to stick your noses where they are not wanted." _

_Then he sent a curse at her that rendered her unconscious._

_

* * *

_

Logan stepped out of the grounds of Hogwarts and into his cottage on Xavier's property. His mind and heart were heavy after seeing what the kid had gone through in her short life. With every step, for each memory there was a deeper explanation to why Emma was as messed up as she was. It wasn't normal or healthy by any means that a teenager had to go through and witness all the things she had. Obviously the magical world was crueller than what was considered normal and those that lived in it were much more prone to get themselves into trouble.

Perhaps the reason was that witches and wizards relied so much upon magic to help them through every mundane thing and then fix them up if they ever got into trouble or injured. It made him admire the kid even more for distancing herself from the magical world and trying to stand on her own two feet. It couldn't always be easy for her as showed by her flaring temper and sudden frustration that came over her. It happened every time she couldn't use magic for the simplest and most mundane things that she had always used magic for in the past.

Seeing his own memories had often been uncomfortable but Logan didn't fool himself. When dealing with his past, there was bound to be a lot of shit. He was brutal, rough and angry. The people he associated with were often the same, all of them were but the few he knew from the Xavier's.

Tobacco scent attacked his nostrils before he turned around to look for Emma. Just getting a whiff of it told him volumes about her emotional state; Emma never smoked unless she was upset.

Logan turned around and saw Emma sitting in one of the two old chairs that were in the room, an ashtray on the table with a cigarette butt. The witch was staring at him with sadness pouring out of her, dark eyes shone with untold emotions that Emma was trying her best to suppress. It didn't seem to Logan that she wanted to talk about her memory as she often did. By distancing herself and refusing to enter the memory with Logan she had hinted that she didn't want to re-live the events that had taken place a few years earlier.

It surprised Logan to see such a distinctive characteristic of his shining through as she glanced at him, warily prepared to put up a wall of defence if Logan started to dig too deep. The kid played her hand too close to her chest; it wasn't healthy for someone her age to be that secretive. She should have more friends and do all the girly things he watched Rogue and her friends do. Instead, she chose to hang with him, the oldest mutant he knew of and if he was to be honest to himself he didn't find the Wolverine to be the best company for a young woman.

Seeing how she kept everyone at safe distance and only let Logan under her skin was a reason enough to know that she had needed their sessions just as much as he did. They both desperately needed to face their past so they could move on.

As he walked closer to Emma she stood up from the chair and Logan was certain that she was thinking of bolting out the door like he had sometimes done when the pain of the memories had gotten too much. Instead she surprised him by almost throwing herself into his arms for a long, tight embrace. Neither of them said anything for a long time and both of them immersed in the images they had seen from both memories.

"Sorry kid," Logan muttered, kissed the top of her head and enjoyed feeling her visibly relax in their bear hug. He rested his chin upon the top of her head and decided to wait until she would break free. After a while he realized that she didn't want to be let go, that she was getting comfort from him that she didn't want to miss. In order for them to get more comfortable, he broke the embrace, walked to the chair and sat down. As Emma opened her mouth to protest, he grabbed her hand, pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his muscular arms around her holding her tight.

It only took Emma a few seconds before she had made herself perfectly comfortable on his lap. Her head was in the crook of Logan's neck and the fingers of one hand were painting invisible meaningless symbols onto his chest. Every time her ghostly touch lingered somewhere too long a deep rumble went through his chest and a gentle smile grazed her lips when she realized that Logan was purring softly. It was a sound Emma had never heard coming from him before and it lifted her spirit to hear the sound of his evident comfort.

Logan had growled at her and other members of Xavier's countless times but the purring she had never heard that before. The sound felt both reassuring and soothing to her. The strong scent of cigars and whiskey made Emma feel even more at home on his lap. She snuggled even closer to him and sighed contently when his arms tightened around her making Emma feel comfortable and protected.

"You ok darlin'?" Logan's voice rumbled and she could feel his beard rub her forehead as he looked down to check if she was asleep. She wasn't far from it as she replied something incomprehensible and then sighed contently as he started to stroke her hair gently. Emma felt a hot breath on her face and she could have sworn that Logan kissed the tip of her nose tenderly moments before she fell asleep.

For a long time the only sounds in the cabin were the low crackling noises of the tobacco burning in Logan's cigar and loud purring from the extremely content mutant. An affectionate gaze came into his eyes every time he looked down at the sleeping woman snuggled tightly into his arms.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** Same as before in the other chapters.

Another long chapter finished. I'm so thankful to my beta that is wonderful.

This chapter is like an interlude of sorts as not all chapters can be filled with action.

I love to get reviews *hint hint*. I hate flambé so please no flames.

Big thanks to:

**Jinx of the 2nd Law**

and

**xXMelloxRebekahXx**

for their lovely, encouraging reviews that pushed me onwards.

* * *

I'm just a soul whose intentions are good,

Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood.

Joe Cocker - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

* * *

The bosom buddies had just one thing that they disagreed upon and that was hockey. As much as Emma liked Logan's company there was no way that she could watch a whole match of ice-hockey with him. Logan loved hockey, a fascination he had picked up over the years and a trait that Emma was certain that was somehow connected to the fact that he was Canadian. There was no other explanation that could prove to her why on earth Logan would ever spend that amount of time watching that brutal sport.

Sports were never Emma's interest, not even when she was at Hogwarts and the Quidditch season was in full force. Compared to hockey, Quidditch suddenly sounded a fantastic way to spend one's afternoon.

Logan once made the mistake of inviting Emma to watch a whole match with him. It wasn't that Logan needed company while watching a game; it was more that someone who enjoyed the game was welcome to spend time with him, eat pizza and be silent.

Emma had a huge problem with the silence part when she was watching the only match she ever watched, as soon as she started to ask questions Logan tried to ignore her. The second time she asked, Logan replied but not the way she thought he would.

"Kid, sit here and shut the hell up or get the fuck out and let me watch the game in peace."

For a few moments Emma felt offended before she realized that Logan's words actually gave her the perfect way out from an excruciating mind-numbing afternoon. She walked out of the room without another word and felt happy to have made her escape from a boring afternoon of hockey.

When the match finished Logan found Emma in the kitchen with Ororo chatting merrily over a cup of coffee. The two women were laughing and clearly having a great time as they chatted up a storm.

"How was the match?" Ororo asked smugly as he entered the kitchen.

"Fine," Logan answered gruffly not sure how Emma's mood was and if she was trying to pick a fight by gossiping to Ororo like that even though she knew that he hated it.

"He means after I left," Emma said laughing before trying to sound like Logan with a British drawl, "get out or shut the fuck up."

Looking at his stunned face she even added teasingly, "Nice language bub."

Logan looked at her suspiciously but didn't notice any anger from her; she was more playful than he had seen her before.

"So we're good kid? No female drama coz I told you to get out?"

"It's fine Logan," she said warmly, "you'd better find another hockey buddy as I don't have a hockey loving bone in my body."

"No shit? Not even pizza shut you up," he retorted and felt warmth spread inside his chest at the cheerful laughter and the dark sparkling eyes. There were not many people that could make Logan crack jokes but Emma was beginning to dig herself into his heart and he realized he liked it. It was nice to have someone in his life that wasn't scared of him and dared to stand up to him. In Emma's case she might even try to stand up to him a bit too often but he liked her rebellious spirit. The wilder side of him loved to see her stand up to him.

He shook his head with mirth before going out for a cigar. He still hadn't been able to break Charles Xavier when it came to cigar smoking in the mansion. It was still very much frowned upon and breaking the rules wasn't worth the frown he would get from Ororo if he would.

"Marvellous how uninteresting sports are," Emma said grinning to Storm before refilling their cups with more coffee. To Emma's joy it didn't take long until Rogue took up spending Sunday afternoons with Logan watching hockey. It made Emma happy to get out of the forced watching, Logan was more than happy to have company of someone that knew how to shut up and Rogue was more than happy to spend a little time with Logan. All in all, everyone was happy with the little hockey arrangement.

* * *

Things had been somewhat quiet at the mansion for a few weeks. Everybody did their job, including the children who were busy with school and the X-men had only had a handful of missions giving the team and Emma a lot of time to kill.

At the beginning of December Charles Xavier called for a staff meeting. Something he rarely did as communication was quite good between the staff members, it certainly helped that the headmaster was a telepath. If something was off, then he tackled it immediately.

Xavier looked over the staff and couldn't help smiling with affection at them all. Ororo sat on a chair close to his table and Hank stood directly behind her with a hand on her shoulder as if showing the world that she was his possession.

In another chair, facing Xavier's desk was Emma. On her right was Scott, sitting on the arm rest and on the other side was Logan. Xavier couldn't help grinning at the annoyed glances that Logan gave Scott as he and Emma continued to talk together in hushed tones. Obviously the Wolverine was used to be the centre of attention for the witch and didn't like it much when she was busy with someone else.

It felt that things were finally heading towards some kind of normality in the house after the abrupt death of Jean; it had been horribly difficult for everyone to accept it and especially for Scott whom Xavier had been very concerned for. Finally the balance had been resumed within the mansion, the teachers and students were not as restless as they had been and sorrow wasn't the first the thing on everybody's mind as soon as they got up in the morning. It was true that things were still difficult and many matters still needed to be discussed but Xavier tried to have his door always open for any who needed to talk.

"The reason why I asked you all in here was to discuss how they preparation for the exams is going and how the students are reacting to the pressure?"

Ororo was the first to answer, "so far all seems to be going well. The students are nervous of course but nothing too bad. We have seen it worse here."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it," Charles said and smiled friendly at Ororo who had been one of his first students back in the days when he and Eric founded the Institute for gifted youngsters. Of course that friendship died quickly when Eric realized that Charles would never understand his view on superiority over non-mutants.

"Scott, how are things going with your classes?" Xavier asked carefully to his most troubled staff member. It was no secret that Scott hadn't bounced back as quickly as everyone would have hoped. The wound of losing Jean was still too fresh. The strong friendships he had with Xavier, Ororo and the others had helped him to go on after the heartbreak.

"They are on the right track, Kitty is a little too anxious every now and then but as long as she doesn't affect the others with her nervous behaviour it should be all right. I will keep an eye on her in case something changes."

"Logan? How are your classes going? You never say much about them," Xavier complained and his pale blue eyes pierced into Logan's. A just complaint for sure since Logan wasn't one that wanted often to talk about his students, he felt it was better that the kids would learn to settle things between themselves without the teachers interfering too much. It was a rule that Xavier highly disliked and he was quick to point that out at every teacher meeting they had.

"They are doing fine. If they do well they will pass and if they don't they will fail. Simple enough for them to understand," Logan said annoyed at the third degree, when each semester was about to end it was the same story with Xavier. The professor wanted to know if there were any problems rising but really in a self-defence class there were always problems. Logan never thought the kids were ready enough, that they would ever be able to defend themselves properly in a real fight against Magneto or others like him. One thing he was completely against was Xavier's idea of putting Marie, Bobby and Kitty on the team as soon as possible. In Logan's mind they were simply too young and inexperienced to be added as part of the X-men.

"Emma, what about you? Everything all right in the history classes?" Xavier questioned after deciding to let Logan off the hook. It wouldn't do them any good to fight in-between themselves; it would only put more tension in an already tense household.

"Certainly, as much as it can be when so many exams are coming up. The children are nervous, grumpy and agitated much like we, the staff, are. I think we all need to get a little break and I myself cannot wait for the Christmas holiday," Emma said and received many nods of agreement from her fellow colleagues. It had been a difficult semester and everyone was ready to relax for a while, hang out with friends, have late nights and enjoy the holiday season.

"Indeed I think we all look forward to the break. First we have to think of our annual Christmas dance here at the mansion that will be held this year on the fifteenth of December. Are there any volunteers in helping Ororo to put everything together?"

Xavier looked around smiling widely when he saw Scott, Logan and Emma look away instantly indicating their lack of interest in helping. He had known that those three would need an extra enticing factor for them to help, they were too introvert to be interested in prancing around at a Christmas dance filled with joyful teenagers. Charles chuckled when he noticed that the witch even tried her best to cover her body from view by hiding behind Logan's bulky frame.

"Hank? Certainly you will volunteer this year like always?" he asked hoping that his relationship with Ororo might stimulate the Beast in helping. There were many things men did for their women, including impressing them with things that were not interesting.

"Surely you will help as you are the tallest and can reach the ceiling without a ladder?" Xavier said in a persuasive tone trying to coax Hank into helping out with the decorations. Out of all the staff, Hank was the most likely to take on the job of helping Ororo, the others seemed absolutely not interested in taking on the job.

"I already promised Ororo that I would help," Hank said cheerfully and smiled a fanged grin to Ororo who had a smug look on her face. The private swaying lesson had paid off; Hank had kept his end of the deal. Logan snorted revolted at the look on Ororo's face and even Scott looked a tad disgusted with the obvious female glee of getting what she wanted.

Xavier turned towards Emma, Scott and Logan and said in a cheerful tone, "We just need one of you three to pick out the music. Whoever does that won't need to be a chaperone on the night of the ..."

"I'll do it!" Emma interrupted swiftly; there was no way she wanted to be at that dance and she grabbed Xavier's offer hastily. Using her quick mind she managed to interrupt the professor and grab the job for herself mere moments before the other two would.

"That was quick. Seems Ororo knows exactly how to stimulate you three," Charles said laughing at the murderous glances that Emma was getting from the two men and especially Logan who was known for hating public settings, particularly the dances.

The witch looked at the two men grinning wickedly and patting them both friendly on the shoulder as if they were children that just lost a soccer match, "you snooze you lose, isn't that what the kids say?"

Logan rolled his eyes at her and she gloated back at him knowing full well that she had won that prize fair and square. There was nothing that Logan could do; she had won.

"Indeed," Xavier said grinning at the witch who so enjoyed teasing her co-workers. He had noticed that her discreet friendship with Logan was helping her to open up to her co-workers. In only a few months Emma had turned from a very timid person into one that dared to talk in front of them all to express her opinions and concerns. That was a huge step for someone so introverted as her and Xavier knew that Logan's forwardness had somehow triggered that reaction in her.

"I've never been to a dance this side of the pond so I will need a few hints from you, Ororo, about what music to pick out," Emma said and peeked at her friend from behind Logan's bulky frame. She really had to stretch her neck to see her friend at the other end of the room.

Ororo smiled warmly at Emma and replied, "No problem, last year I took care of the music and I'm sure I have the list somewhere so you can use it as a reference."

"Efficient," Logan said sarcastically to Ororo who glared angrily at him at his words. It was no secret that Logan hated to work in a team and more than anything he hated organization and any kinds of lists. He respected Ororo a lot as part of the team and also as an acquaintance. On the other hand, her noisiness and loose tongue had often gotten the better of Logan's nasty temper. The clashes often resulted in epic fights between the two and the team was not interested in reliving them any time soon. There was one problem with Logan's temper, when someone managed to annoy him like that it was really difficult to get him to change his opinion on that person.

"It's good that some of us are efficient," Scott said aggravated throwing a mini torpedo Logan's way. Just the mere presence of the Wolverine was enough to bring out a side in Scott that he hadn't even known he had.

"How should you know Scooter, haven't seen you do much lately but wallowing in your own shit," Logan growled back at the younger man. It was true that Scott had not been too active in finishing his job that semester but every staff member had volunteered to fill in for him whenever needed. All that is but Logan who thought Scooter just needed a firm kick in the ass.

"What do you know Logan? You have your head so securely up your own ass that you don't know which way is up anymore," Scott bristled and the rest of the staff members started to roll their eyes in annoyance at yet another fight between the two. The most uncomfortable one was Emma who was now sandwiched between the two who looked very much as if they wanted to attack each other. Only problem with that was that neither of the men seemed to remember that Emma was still wedged between the two on the small chair.

Logan growled at Scott trying his best to pick a fight with the frustrated mutant, "look if anyone needs a kick in the ass it's you Scooter. You are so fucked up that..."

"Gentlemen!" Xavier's voice boomed in the room, annoyance evident in his tone. It seemed that every time that Scott and Logan were in the same room something like that happened. They were opposites, instead of attracting each other; they pushed each further apart every time they saw each other.

"This is neither the time nor place for this, if you two have something to talk about it shouldn't be here," he said indicating to the other three teachers that were watching the sparring contest with considerable interest.

"Good luck with the preparations. I have a class so if you will excuse me," Xavier said indicting that the meeting was over. Emma quickly got up and away from the two men, if they wanted to fight it was fine with her. She simply didn't want to get in the way of any fists or claws, Emma had already tried that and it hadn't appealed much to her.

Emma walked with Hank and Ororo talking about the dance. It gave Logan a golden opportunity to walk up to Scott and say "danger room tonight?"

Scott nodded in agreement to Logan's words but ignoring the feral mutant in other way. The two would never admit that their regular sparring matches in the danger room were actually helping them to get their aggression out and helping them to get over the death of Jean.

* * *

It was a week before the Christmas dance and Emma was in Ororo's room to get the music list that Ororo had made the year before.

"This is the list; I gathered that you would need about six hours of music all in all."

"Six hours? That's a lot of music," Emma said feeling a bit intimidated. Perhaps it hadn't been such a clever idea to snatch the music job after all. A worse candidate was harder to find than someone who knew absolutely nothing about muggle music. Emma was a specialist in a fantastic band, called the Weird Sisters, who had rocked at one of Hogwarts Yule balls but somehow she doubted that their most famous song 'do the Hippogriff' would be a success at Christmas dance at Xavier's.

"Relax Emma, it's not that bad. You can split the time into special themes so it won't be as overwhelming to you," Ororo said friendly and patted Emma on the shoulder as if she was one of her students and not one of her co-workers.

"What kind of themes?" the witch asked suspiciously while grabbing a pen to scribble down all the information that Ororo was freely giving her.

"The first two hours can be jazzy dinner music, the next hour like rock oldies to warm the crowd up, two and a half hour of party music and then half an hour of slow dance music to end the dance with."

Emma scribbled down furiously what Ororo said. The more information she would get from 'Ro the easier it would be for her to do the music job without coming off like a total idiot.

"You mean slow music so the students can have a bit of snogging?" Emma asked her voice filled with laughter. That was a tradition not unknown to her. Every Hogwarts dance had ended with a few slow songs, a fuming potions master, embarrassed students when caught by said potions master, followed by a long list of detentions for the new semester.

"Well not only for that of course but I'm sure that some of the couples will jump on the chance".

"I'm sure that Logan will love to see Bobby snogging Rouge on the dance floor in front of the entire school," Emma said ironically knowing that Logan would be more likely to break something in Bobby's body than dance with happiness.

"Yes err, about that. I was wondering if you could be a chaperone instead of Logan? We don't need the Wolverine in a protective mode dragging Rouge away and treating her like she's a child. If that would happen Bobby would freak out and we would have a major drama on our hands and honestly after the year we have been having we just don't need that. The kids have to be able to have fun without Logan going crazy."

"Me? But I got music so I would be sure that I would not have to go the dance," Emma said defensively, feeling not too thrilled with Ororo's idea. There had been a reason why she snatched the music job so quickly. She had never felt really comfortable at school balls as a student at Hogwarts and had been more than a little happy to finally get out of them. As a teacher at Hogwarts she had been excused from her duties as Dumbledore had understood her reluctance to be surrounded by teenagers who were often a little bit too enthusiastic for their own good.

"Look Emma, think of it like this. By doing this you would be doing Logan and the rest of us a huge favour. I know you two are tight so you might want to keep him out of jail for murdering Bobby," Ororo said trying her best to convince Emma to take on the job even though the young woman looked less than thrilled to take it on. It was proving to be a bigger challenge than Ororo had initially thought. Using the friendship against Emma had been the last straw, a dirty trick but by that point Ororo was ready to trying anything.

Emma snorted at Ororo's words; sure Logan might kill Bobby but jail? Not bloody likely, "please tell me the name of a prison that could hold the Wolverine because I really think that place doesn't exist."

"You're probably right. But don't you want Bobby and Rouge's last Christmas dance to be one of enjoyment and not of disappointment?"

Emma recognized an emotional blackmail when she heard it; it was after all Dumbledore's favourite pastime. However she thought back on Logan's frustrated face in Xavier's study and realized that she would take one for the team. There had to be some real reason why Ororo was so unhappy with Logan attending the dance, "Of course I do. I don't want Logan to make a scene and mortify the children."

"Good, thank you. I was thinking that you could tell him that you had never been to a dance in the States. That you would like to go to see and could just as well take over his duties."

"But why can't I just tell him the truth?" Emma asked surprised, honesty had always been the key ingredient in her friendship with Logan. He detested lies and those that lied to him never got his respect or friendship.

Ororo wondered just how innocent Emma really was, it was a known fact that Logan never reacted well when he thought people (especially her) were stepping on his toes and trying to control him in any way. It never ended well and usually with three adamantium claws going through something or simply the Wolverine leaving the mansion for a while. It was impossible for Logan to leave now that they were so understaffed and therefore Ororo thought it was best to try to keep the snarly mutant good with a few fixes here and there to keep his temper to a minimum.

"Look Emma. I don't like lying to Logan either but I am not going to tell him that we don't want him around the kids when he's in a nasty mood like he was before. I can't imagine that going well for any of us and I'd hate to see you leave the mansion with claw marks on your body."

If Ororo had been paying attention to Emma she would have seen the young woman visibly pale at her words but like so often she was trying to do too many things at the same time and therefore missed the stunned expression on Emma's face. Ororo had no idea how she had nailed the hammer on the head and Emma would never admit how close she had actually come to the truth. It was more than a slight possibility that Emma would walk out of Xavier's with claw marks on her, in fact it was a certainty.

"It would be true though, I never been to a dance here. I haven't had any time to go to dances while here at Xavier's," Emma said in a shaky voice and trying to mask the shock she had gotten by Ororo's perceptive words. The witch knew she had to go to the dance now, if not for anything else than to have the goddess of weather stop talking about Logan as if he were some animal. Logan might have been a feral mutant but there was more humanity in him than in most people that Emma had met during her lifetime.

"Then consider it an experience you won't forget," Ororo said smiling victoriously. She knew exactly what dress she would lend Emma. However she wouldn't tell her now, she had a sneaking suspicion that Emma would flat out refuse to wear something so glitzy.

* * *

The two friends had just had the last session of the year. Emma had not been able to pull anything new out of Logan's memory and he had been too frustrated to see any of her memories. Instead they had decided to continue in the New Year when the holidays would be close to an end.

As a substitute, the two friends were sitting on the veranda of the cottage late in evening, enjoying the crisp winter air. The silence was wonderful and so needed now that the students had finished their exams. The joyful sounds of exuberance were sometimes too much for the more reclusive members of the staff who didn't enjoy waking up at all hours to what at first appeared to be tortures but were in reality play fights in the TV room over the remote.

"I finished my compilation for tomorrow and burnt it to CD's. It's all ready," Emma said happily feeling relived to have finished her crash course in the musical history of muggles all over the world. She still had many holes but could at least hum in tune with some songs without embarrassing herself too much.

"Good kid. Now you're done and don't have to show up for the piece of shit torture fest that happens tomorrow night," Logan answered sullenly, feeling sorry for himself for being forced to attend something that he disliked so much.

"Is it really that bad?" Emma asked alarmed. It was difficult to be offering to go to a dance that sounded more like a torture than anything else.

"Nah it's just an annoying hormonal festival. With my senses it freaks me out being there," Logan said honestly shuddering to think of the horny boys and the lusty young ladies. When he could feel the scent in the air he just wanted to scream with annoyance and the Wolverine didn't function very well with large groups of people when annoyed.

Knowing that Rouge was one of the kids this year freaked him out even more. Ever since the teen had managed to control her power enough to kiss Bobby, there had been little else she did do. To smell that scent from her, Bobby and their teenage lust would make him throw up he was sure. It would be absolutely nightmarish to sit through that and Logan had been secretly dreading that ever since Xavier announced the Christmas dance.

He looked to his right and noticed that the young witch was staring at him with interest and more than a little bit of concern. Emma awkwardly stroke his hair as if he were a lost little boy and not an annoyed mutant that didn't want to go to a school dance as a chaperone.

"I'm sorry Logan. I had no idea that it affected you like that," Emma said gently and continued to ruffle his hair so it looked even wilder than usual.

"Its ok kid, nothing you can do about it anyway," he said trying to sound optimistic about the whole thing and enjoying the attention her hands were giving him. It wasn't often that Emma touched him first and when she did, Logan intended to enjoy it to the max, even if it was as simple as stroking his hair.

"But there is. I will be a chaperone instead. You should have told me earlier that it made you feel like that, I would have traded with you at the meeting without a hesitation," she said honestly and meaning every word.

"Now kid don't get all soft on me and start pitying me. I don't need it from no one and especially not from you," Logan said proudly while standing up and lighting the tattered cigar that he had been chewing since that morning.

"I do not pity you Logan! I'm a friend of yours and friends help each other out, or so I'm told by experts," she said determined and quickly continuing when Logan looked as if he was about to protest to her words.

"Plus I want to go. I have never been to a dance here and this is the perfect opportunity to see what the fuss is about."

He closed his mouth quickly and almost suffocated on a puff of smoke, having a coughing fit as a result of his shock. Who was he to stop her from going to the dance if she really wanted to? He for the life of him couldn't understand why she would want it but that was her choice.

"But I have to tell you something and you can't get mad at me," She said seriously, there was no way she could lie to Logan about that she had been asked to take over. That wasn't how their friendship worked; she had never lied to him and wasn't going to start with a lie for Ororo about a school dance. If Emma ever lied to Logan it had to be about something important, not about Rogue snogging Bobby.

"Don't tell me what I can and can't get mad at kid and just spit it out," whatever the kid was trying to say had to be bad for her to stammer like that. Emma usually didn't have any problems telling him what she had to and for her to hesitate it had to be bad.

"Ororo asked me to take over as a chaperone for you," Emma confessed and tried to hide her embarrassment over the whole fiasco. It had been a horrible idea from the start and Ororo should never have tried to put her in such an awkward position. Emma didn't have many friends and the few she had she cherished beyond anything. Logan had been included in that small group for a long time and she didn't want anything to jeopardize it, especially some stupid schemes from someone who didn't understand the dynamics of the friendship between her and Logan.

Logan looked at her suspiciously and chewed his cigar deep in thought, "then why the farce? Why not say that? And why did 'Ro want that?"

Emma not only looked horribly guilty but she also smelled like a child who had been caught with its hand down the cookie jar, "Logan, I'm trying to be honest here because I thought you would appreciate it. Ororo was worried that you would make a scene seeing Bobby and Rouge snogging and we know those two will be glued together on the lips as they have been the entire semester."

"Yeah, so?" He said not fully trusting where the situation was headed and how Ororo had managed to mix Emma into one of her schemes.

"It's their last Christmas dance. Ororo didn't want them to remember it as the dance when the Wolverine had a fit and killed Iceman."

"So she decided to be sneaky and use you because we are friends?" he asked starting to get angry about the whole thing. He hated plotting females and especially he hated Ororo when she was plotting. Her schemes had often included the other staff members, usually Hank or Scott, but never had she dared to step so close to Logan before by using someone as close to him as Emma was. Truthfully no one really knew how close Emma and Logan were as they hid it pretty well, even so everyone knew of the Friday night soirees they had together every week.

"She did try to be a little sneaky but I had already decided to say no to her. I was quite happy to stay away after I saw what kind of fuzz she is making over the whole thing. But that was before tonight; before you told me it gave you discomfort to have to go. I don't want you to feel that if there is anything I can do to prevent it. Plus I really have never been to a dance here," she said smiling softly at him feeling totally out of her element as a truth loving Slytherin.

"It's not that bad kid, you don't have to give up your spare time for me," Logan said brusque. He was not angry at her any longer; her scent told him that she had been telling the truth and had wanted to be upfront with him as that was the essence of their friendship. Ororo on the other hand was in a world of trouble.

"You don't understand what I mean, do you?" she said puzzled at why he was so angry at her for wanting to do him a favour. She got up and stood next to him. It had taken a few fights with him before Emma had realized the closer she got to him during the first stages of a fight, the shorter time it took to sort things out.

"What do you mean? Talk in a way that I can understand instead of always speaking in riddles and hints," Logan snarled at her question as he thought it was patronizing to his intellect. What the hell did she mean anyway? He had no idea what she meant from time to time; her train of thought was often very outlandish to him. It wasn't that she was a foreigner, more like it was the magical society that gave her an entirely altered point of view from what he was used to.

"It's not a chore Logan or something that I have to do. No, it's my pleasure to help you and relieve you from a situation that is uncomfortable. That's what friends are for," she said petting him on the upper arm as if he were a lost puppy and not the famous grouchy Wolverine.

"Fine have it you way," Logan said grinning teasingly thinking that someone had answered his prayers since he wouldn't have to go to that dance after all. Praise god, or whoever ran the cosmos, for having sent him a woman crazy enough to want to be his friend and for tolerating him so easily when he bristled up in anger.

"Oh, I insist!" she said smiling widely at him feeling relived at how well he was taking the news of Ororo's plotting. Emma had worried that he would run straight home and kick some serious ass, instead he had simply growled a little bit. That to her was an admission enough of how bad he wanted to get out of the dance, even Ororo's plotting wouldn't annoy him for any length of time.

"Right, but I will still rip 'Ro a new one," Logan said determined as he chewed angrily on his cigar while dreaming out ways to get his revenge on Ororo. The bright, sulphur glint in his eyes was a warning enough that perhaps Logan wasn't as cool with the whole thing as Emma had first hoped.

"That damn woman is getting almost as bad as Chuck with her meddling and it has to stop, I can't stand working in a place where everyone is plotting like they do."

"Please don't make a scene over this Logan," Emma said in a pleading tone trying desperately to calm him down before he would do or say something at the mansion that he couldn't take back. Xavier was notoriously protective of his students and wouldn't hesitate to cut anyone of his teachers lose if he would feel the need.

"You were never to know, plus she did this for you," Emma said trying to get Logan to think positively of Ororo even though that seemed to be an uphill battle.

"Nah, she did this for herself. But I won't say anything just because you were honest, even if it were at the last minute," Logan said looking into her eyes, the yellow gleam still visible in them even though the warm hazel colour was taking over.

"So what will you be doing instead?" the young woman asked curiously even though she could more or less guess what he would be up to.

Logan figured that saying that he would be getting laid would be the wrong thing to say, so he picked the Disney version, "getting drunk, or trying to anyway."

Why did he have the feeling that the witch had known exactly what he had meant? The way her eyes twinkled with mirth suggested that she was starting to know him too well to believe Disney versions. Even though she looked so young and innocent she was far too mature to believe that. The witch laughed merrily into the night air, happy that things were still fine between them.

* * *

The staff had their own private dinner at the mansion on the evening of the dance while the students went to the nearest pizzeria to celebrate, before arriving later at the mansion for the ball.

Logan and Scott had been at each other throats the entire meal, agitating the others who were trying to have a quiet evening before their duties at the dance. Scott was very annoyed by the fact that Logan suddenly didn't have to go to the dance anymore and that Emma had actually agreed to Ororo's ridiculous plan.

"Do you realize that Ororo didn't want you at the dance? That she asked Emma to relieve you of your duties because she didn't trust you to behave like a normal human being?" Scott said angrily as a snidely comeback to something that Logan had said to him.

A pregnant silence followed as the staff expected Logan to rip Scott into pieces and then maul Emma for lying to him. To everyone's surprise nothing even close to that happened. Logan sat relaxed in his seat under the verbal torrent from Scott and the only hints of his annoyance were his clenched fists. In Wolverine land that was nothing, it meant that the joke had hardly registered on his radar.

Logan puffed his cigar before finally saying "I know everything. You ain't telling me any news; Em has already told me everything."

Logan winked at the witch who looked very much like she didn't want to be at the dinner table anymore. Emma felt very much like the snitch that she was and looking at the gaping face of Ororo supported that theory.

"What did she tell you?" Ororo asked stiffly wondering what the hell Emma had said to the Wolverine and how she could fix the damage. Going behind Logan's back was never a smart idea, going behind his back and getting caught was an even worse idea. It was something Ororo had experienced before and the result had been a lot of snarling, adamantium claws, broken door of the Blackbird and Logan's refusal to work with the X-men for a few months.

"I told him the truth, that nobody wanted to see him freak out over Rogue kissing Bobby," Emma said warily, not enjoying the situation very much. She had suspected that Logan would confront Ororo for what she did but had hoped that she wouldn't be there when that happened. She was not embarrassed for telling Logan, no it was simply part of the bond with him. Being targeted at the dinner table as the residential snitch was however not very enjoyable and was really something that Emma would have wanted to miss as an experience in whole.

"Freak out? That's the understatement of the century," Scott muttered under his breath slightly shocked that Emma had dared to tell Logan that he was not wanted. Shocked that she had had the guts to do that and really shocked that Logan had taken it like a man. Perhaps it was different when the bad news came from a pretty, young female than if they came from someone like Scott whom Logan had detested since he entered the mansion for the first time.

"Emma told me and I was happy to not have to work. She has figured out something vital when it comes to me, be honest and we will be friends."

The way he looked at her with pride made her blush, especially when the others started to look at her question in their eyes. Everybody seemed shocked but Xavier who knew exactly how close the two odd ones in the mansion were getting and was quite happy with the result of the first fight of the mansion that involved the new staff member. It had to happen sooner or later as every teacher had gone though that at some point.

Loud chatting from the hallway signaled the end of the meal as the students poured into the mansion after what seemed a successful meal.

"All right, it's time to go to work people," Ororo chirped happily and left the table hand in hand with Hank who was like her shadow most of the times.

"I'm outta here," Logan mumbled, already feeling like a caged animal. He grabbed Emma's shoulder tightly for a moment on his way out of the room as to show his appreciation and then he was off through the back door. He didn't even want to face all the kids as he knew it would be a hormonal festival. Sneaking out the back was very un-Wolverine but something he had to do to keep sane.

* * *

Emma was in bed after a very long evening at the dance. The destined time had been midnight but after whining and begging it was changed into one a.m. and it had been much harder than Emma had anticipated.

It was two a.m. and she had finally cleaned up with Hank, Ororo and Scott after ushering the last of the kids from the ceremony hall. She had decided to shower and was now in her super pink pyjamas that she started to wear ever since Logan had made it somewhat of a habit to pop by in the evenings to chat before sleeping. Logan had seen Emma half naked the evening she had blasted him out of the room. It was not an evening she wanted to repeat at any level, not the fight nor the nakedness. Logan had gotten an eyeful then and she did not want a repeated performance of that fiasco.

Finally she could get to bed and rest after an excruciating evening of chasing after teenagers while wearing high heels that Ororo had provided for her to go with the golden, glitzy dress she had pulled out from somewhere. Emma had been amazed at the loveliness of the dress, it wasn't often that she liked to dress up but it had been a special occasion. It wasn't until a few hours into the dance that she realized how utterly impractical the high heels were.

The first thing she had done when she got to her room was to kick the shoes into the furthest corner of the room and wowing never to wear such disgusting torture devices again. She stumbled into bed completely exhausted and sighed. There were few things better in the world than to lay down after warm shower.

A soft knock on the door woke her from her slumber; thankfully she had guessed that Logan would pop by so she had left the door unlocked. As usual Logan opened the door without waiting for her to open; to him it was a waste of time to wait for her to get the door. It was courtesy enough that he knocked, or so he felt. Emma didn't care anymore, she had learnt to put on pyjamas and from that on she didn't mind when Logan entered her room.

"Hey kid. Thought you might still be up," Logan said smiling widely at the tired witch that looked completely spent on the bed wearing the ugly pyjamas he had given her.

"Come in and lock the door behind you," she said smiling tiredly at him.

"Lock the door? People might talk," he said wiggling his eyebrows at her while locking the door obediently.

"Let them, I don't care. I'm sure they talk about you all the time. I just can't stand to face yet another teenager for tonight, I have had enough."

"They do talk about me but I'm a lot older than you and usually everything they say is true."

Emma laughed surprised at his words. Logan never ceased to amaze her with his bluntness, "not many would admit that you know."

"Well I don't care what they say," he muttered sitting at the end of her bed and Emma could hear the old bed groan in protest as his huge frame crashed onto it.

"Careful, I don't want to have to sleep on the floor tonight."

"Relax, that won't happen, in case you would just sleep in my room," Logan teased while watching her pull her duvet higher up and snuggling up like a tired kitten.

"How was the dance? You look worn-out," He said gazing at her sleepy face as she struggled to keep herself awake long enough to talk to him.

"They had fun and even managed to get one hour more from Ororo."

"How did your first American dance go?" he asked with sarcasm remembering her lame excuse to take over his chaperone position for the evening.

"I think I'm too old for teenage dances. My feet are killing me after those bloody high heels that Ororo forced on me and I had to walk in them all evening. I don't understand the fuss and by the end of the dance I really just wanted to sit down and have a cold beer," Emma said trying to stretch to get more comfortable, it was difficult as Logan was spread over half of the bed. Her long legs finally ended up on Logan's lap. He didn't protest so she kept the feet there and sighed contently when his large hands started to massage them.

"But you're just a kid, how can you be too old?"

"Inside, I feel old inside," Emma answered tiredly with her eyes closed and enjoying the massage she had been hallucinating about for hours.

"Nah, don't kid. You're still so young," Logan said, it always annoyed him when Emma said things like that even though he knew she was merely telling the truth. It made him powerless to see someone so young feel so jaded. She wasn't supposed to feel like that, if he had wished for anything it would have been that she would feel like a kid again. That she would enjoy all the things young women her age enjoyed to do, instead she felt bitter and world-weary.

"How was your night?" Emma asked to change the subject from her to him while relaxing under his expert hands that were working on the knotted muscles of her calves and feet.

"It was ok, drinking, played pool, a fight. Good stuff."

"How did you manage a fight this time?" Emma slurred feeling closer to sleep with every stroke of Logan's hands over the tense muscles of her feet. Each caress felt like a little piece of heaven to her exhausted body.

"This chick was hitting on me and I was fine with it because she was good looking. Then her guy comes out from behind the bar to kick my ass. Then I kicked his," Logan said chucking at his own story before noticing the silence in the room. He looked over at Emma who was fast asleep, her breathing even and she looked even younger as she slept peacefully using Logan as a footstool.

"It was a good story, I'll tell you it again tomorrow when you get up," Logan whispered and as quietly as a cat he got out of bed without waking Emma up.

"Nite kid, I owe you one," he whispered, turned off the light and closed the door silently behind him.


	22. Chapter 22

Hello is there anybody out there? I hope not everybody have abandoned the story even though it's been on hiatus for a while now. My parents both got severely ill for a quite a long time but are finally on the mend. It's been a difficult time to say the least but now it's time to get on with things.

I post this chapter unbetad (is that a word?) as my beta is busy at work and I'm inpatient to get on with the story. As I have said before it's written, it follows a certain time line and chapters that don't seem to make sense still do in the time line that I gave myself.

* * *

And I'm weeping warm honey and milk  
That you stay surrounding me, surrounding me

Missy Higgins - Warm whispers

* * *

It was early Christmas morning and everyone was fast asleep at Xavier's but Jones who was busy flicking through the hundreds of TV channels that were on cable. The rest of the house was utterly quiet, the few children who had decided to celebrate Christmas had gone very late to bed and the teachers had gone even later to bed after wrapping the presents for their friends, all but Ororo who was incredibly organized when it came to everything and had finished everything she needed to do by the first week of December.

Emma hadn't gotten to bed until very late after a long night of feeling dreadfully homesick, so homesick in fact that she had spent most of the night reading Hogwarts a history while thinking home.

The time she had been working at Xavier's Emma had often missed her old friends. The holiday season had been especially difficult for her; she had never been away from Hogwarts at Yule tide, not ever since she had enlisted into Hogwarts as a child. This time she missed not only her friends but the special feeling that stirred in her chest at every Christmas when she spent time at Hogwarts surrounded by those she loved the most. Hogwarts was wonderful at Yule tide, the house elves worked overtime in making sure that the humans were settled, happy and most importantly enjoying a full stomach.

The buffet over the holidays was a smorgasbord, anything and everything that one might desire. Emma wasn't filled with the same passionate principles that Hermione had and had refused to join S.P.E.W (otherwise known as the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) to champion House-elf's rights.

Emma had been raised with Mrs. Ashbrook and as in so many magical households there was a house elf called Skimpy who had entertained Emma immensely as a child growing up in an old woman's household. Skimpy had continued to be a part of Emma's life as Dumbledore had taken the elf under his wing when Mrs. Ashbrook passed away.

In fact, according to the will, Emma had inherited Skimpy but since she was just a child at the time it had been decided that the house elf would work in the kitchens at Hogwarts until, and if the time came that, Emma would want Skimpy's service. Influenced by Hermione's passion, Emma had once offered Skimpy freedom and would never do that again, she had learnt her lesson well that day.

The more than not, sweet natured house elf had turned into a hissing monster at the mention of independence and had explained to Emma in coarse language where she could shove that freedom. The elf then disappeared from her sight, refusing to speak to her for weeks afterwards making Emma understand just how seriously she had wounded him. Finally Emma had profusely apologized and sworn on her wand that she would never use the dreadful f-word in Skimpy's ears.

Emma had been thinking much of Skimpy the house elf and one of the reasons was that every Christmas morning the dear elderly elf gave her a box filled with his personally made sweets. It was a tradition that Emma knew that she would miss that year, making her even more depressed that she was a far from those she loved.

Like most witches she had some kind of premonition installed into her genetic makeup and should have realized that there was some reason why she was thinking so much of the grumpy, little house elf. However even though Emma was a witch, she had never been interested in premonitions, dreams or other unreliable things of that nature.

If she had been a believer she might not have been surprised when a loud pop was heard and a small, old house elf appeared in her room in the early hours of Christmas morning. It was Skimpy, looking rather annoyed by the sight in front of him. A sleeping witch, Emma was always sleeping. Dumbledore said she wasn't ill but Skimpy felt she slept too much for a human even though the other elf's said that sleeping every night was apparently normal for humans. Ridiculous waste of time the old house elf thought before clearing his throat loudly.

Nothing.

The witch didn't even stir.

"Miss? You must wake up," Skimpy's loud voice echoed in the room.

Emma had never been an early riser and after the long night she had had she was even deeper than usual in the clutches of a dream. Emma grumbled in recognition to the voice she had heard so often in her childhood but then fell asleep again.

"Miss, wake up. Dumbledore sent me," the voice said again with a little bit of impatience embedded into it.

"Five more minutes Skimpy," Emma's voice groaned from under the covers while she moved to find the perfect position to continue her dreaming. It was not often that she enjoyed cheerful dreams and when she did it was very hard for her to let go.

"I asked you kindly miss, you can't fault me," the high pitched voice threatened before Emma's duvet was violently ripped off her and thrown into the nearest wall where it slowly slid to the floor. House elves were infamous for having little patience for sleeping humans, it was a trait that Emma should have remembered from when she was a child.

The young witch groaned in protest when all the lights in the room were turned on at the same time as a cold draft surrounded her half sleeping body. It took her a few seconds to register the hoarse voice that was openly nagging her, as if she were five years old and still living with Mrs. Ashbrook.

"... silly, lazy witch. She sleeps too much. I told Dumbledore, who needs to sleep every night like she does? Did he listen, no he didn't. No one listens to poor Skimpy."

Emma sat up quickly in her bed and narrowed her eyes to see something else than the bright light that shone straight into her eyes. There by the side of the bed was a small silhouette of an agitated, elderly house elf that was impatiently pacing back and forth while waiting for Emma to wake up.

"Wait! What in Merlin's name is going on here? Is it you Skimpy?" Emma asked in a groggy voice and not quite believing her eyes.

"Dumbledore's beard, I have finally managed to wake the sleeping beauty," Skimpy's voice said sarcastically revealing quickly to Emma who it was. The snarkier side of Mrs. Ashbrook had rubbed off on her elf, shocking others of his kind who would never speak to their masters in that discourteous manner. Mrs Ashbrook had had the kindest, biggest heart of anyone that Emma had ever met in her life, however no one could deny that the old witch had enjoyed sarcasm and had turned it into an art form.

"Oh, Skimpy! I can't believe it's you! I must still be dreaming," Emma gushed joyfully and before long she was on her knees on the floor beside the elf, hugging him tightly and kissing his old, wrinkled face with an unusual affection that surprised the elf and made him feel slightly claustrophobic.

"Mistress has strange dreams if kissing Skimpy is a common occurrence," Skimpy mumbled before wrapping his thin, little arms around Emma's neck and hugging her quickly back showing how truly happy he was to meet his true mistress again after months apart. Skimpy had always cared for his mistress Emma even though she was very strange indeed, even for a witch she was considered eccentric.

"What on earth are you doing here Skimpy?" Emma asked smiling broadly and stroking his small back affectionately before sitting down on the floor beside him. Skimpy looked at Emma disapprovingly, it was obviously not proper for any witch to behave in such an unsuitable manner. This time he decided against nagging her, Emma had never responded well to that and might even start talking about freedom and socks again if he tried to scold her.

"It's Christmas day miss, I wanted to bring you my present," Skimpy said indignantly, his voice raising to a high pitch and a large red box appeared in his hands. The box appeared even larger by the small size of the house elf and Emma smiled widely when she saw all the ribbons that had been used to tie the box. It seemed obvious that Skimpy had learnt how to wrap presents from his old friend Dobby.

"You came all the way here to give me my present? You really are wonderful!" Emma gushed and grabbed the box that Skimpy had handed her way. She opened the box and greedily ate one with a grin on her face. Chocolate was Emma's addiction and her favourite sweets in the world were the ones made by Skimpy.

"They are fantastic as always, the best Christmas present I could get," Emma said popping another piece greedily into her mouth and chewing quickly as if her life depended on it. A sugar rush so early in the morning made her grin mischievously at Skimpy as she knew he would have scolded her right away if not for the fact that Emma was eating his creations.

"Skimpy knows that mistress loves her chocolate," he said proudly feeling his chest swell at the obvious joy that his mistress was showing over his present. It wasn't often that Emma allowed any type of fussing from the little house elf so he had started to look forward to each Christmas when he could spoil the young witch with what she loved the most in the world.

"Oh yes, I love it and your sweets are the best," Emma said affectionately before closing the box and putting it on her bed. If she wouldn't stop herself the contents of the box would be finished in no time and she really wanted to savour them as long as possible.

"Hang on, how did you find me?" Emma asked suspiciously wondering how in Merlin's name the little house elf had found her in Rochester, New York. She was a secret keeper, no one was supposed to know of her whereabouts, Harry and Ginny's safety depended on it.

"It's our magic miss, house elves must be able to find our masters if needed," Skimpy said matter of factly while frowning at all the mess in Emma's room. There were clothes everywhere making the nice sized room look small by the junk that was all over. Usually Emma kept her room reasonably tidy, but wrapping presents the evening before had left the room in an atrocious state. With a few practiced snaps of Skimpy's hand, house elf magic had taken care of the mess and the room looked shiny. Emma nodded thankfully to the elf who behaved as if he hadn't done anything. It was a common occurrence that wizards and witches were too distracted to do house chores, it made the house elf's feel needed so everybody gained from the partnership.

"What if someone tracked you Skimpy? Then I might have a severe dilemma, even worse all these none magical people here might be in a world of trouble," Emma explained worriedly wondering if someone might be hunting her they might just have found a perfect way to track her down. Her heart constricted with sudden worry for her friends and students at the mansion.

Skimpy looked severely insulted at Emma, "did miss learn nothing at Hogwarts besides breaking rules? No one can track house elf magic; not even magical people."

"Right, Harry mentioned something like that about Dobby," Emma admitted feeling her face flush scarlet with shame at how dissatisfied the old elf had looked as he glared at her with a look that said she really should know better. It didn't feel too good when the elf made fun of her, Skimpy often was correct in his assumptions when it came to her especially when it came to her old habit of speaking before thinking.

"Harry Potter is an excellent wizard, he is a true friend of house elves," the house elf said affectionately his face showing the adoration he had for Harry. Skimpy had been one of the few house elves at Hogwarts that had dared to be around Dobby, the only known free house elf in history. Even though Skimpy had never shared Dobby's ideas there had been a solid bond of friendship between the two different elves and a shared admiration for Harry Potter.

"I'm so very happy you came to visit me Skimpy, I was feeling dreadfully homesick," Emma admitted quietly to the house elf that looked at her silently for a moment before admitting who had given him a slight push to find his ever elusive owner.

"Dumbledore thought you might be missing home. When I asked permission to visit he told me to bring a few things for you," Skimpy said snapping his fingers again. In front of Emma appeared a present and a thick letter with her name on front.

"Thank you so much Skimpy, it meant a lot to me that you came to visit, " Emma said smiling widely and then wondered if she should invite him to stay with her over Christmas. She had no idea what normal owners of house elf's did in a situation like hers and if the Skimpy would even like to stay with her having nothing to do but stay out of sight of the mutants that lived at the mansion.

"Would you want to spend Christmas here with me?" she finally asked quietly, not knowing how she would explain Skimpy's presence to anyone at the mansion.

"I am needed at Hogwarts miss. We are preparing the lunch for students and faculty. Unless miss needs me to stay that is," Skimpy said knowing that if Emma wanted him to he would stay. It was his honour bound duty to make his owner happy, even if she had tried to give him freedom once.

"Very well Skimpy, I don't want you to disappoint Dumbledore or the other elves," Emma said undesirably knowing that Skimpy would be far happier doing his duty at Hogwarts rather than moping over her.

"I have a few things from Dumbledore. Perhaps miss can open them after Skimpy leaves?" the elf asked hopeful and snapped his fingers. A few parcels appeared at his feet and he watched the witch with affection as she moved a little closer to the presents. She had never been a patient one, not even as a child. That same impatience was coming up as she eyed the presents in front of her.

"I will go now, happy Christmas miss," Skimpy bowed before his mistress before disappearing into thin air, not even giving Emma an opportunity to say goodbye to him. She sighed before turning around to get a few more cookies. The little house elf had made her happier than he knew himself.

* * *

Emma had spent a great deal of time trying to find a good present for Logan. It wasn't easy to find something that he would like; after all he never showed a real enthusiasm for things, it simply wasn't in his nature. He cared about the outdoors, solitude, friendship, hunting and having fun the "Logan way". That was all fine and well, but there was nothing really that she could give him connected to those interests.

Around lunch time Logan walked into her room and saw her struggling opening presents from her fellow teachers. He had feared she would be bent out of shape being so far from everybody she knew but she seemed quite content as she sat on her bed surrounded by presents and a huge pile of chocolate cookies that she was munching on.

"Happy Christmas," Logan grumbled, kissing her forehead quickly and snatching a few cookies out of the pile.

"Happ ... hey!" Emma said possessively when she noticed that Logan had stolen half of her precious cookies. His wolfish grin and shimmering hazel eyes stopped her nagging because she knew that he loved to tease her, if he could rile her up his mission was done.

It was Christmas, Logan was welcome to eat them she thought generously and decided to hand him his present. She grabbed a green parcel and pushed it to him and hoping that he would like it.

The first thing that met Logan's gaze as he opened the box was a crimson lipstick lying ever so innocently on top of white paper. He snorted with humour remembering the time he had come to Emma's room to apologize only to find out later that he had been smeared all over his face with a very unflattering red lipstick.

"Doesn't fit my complexion kid," Logan said calmly, grabbing the lipstick and throwing it into Emma's hands. She sniggered knowingly, it had been a rouse and there had been no way that her friend would take the lipstick. Emma knew that, not even as a joke. However it was always fun to push his buttons a little bit, he needed someone that didn't take him always so seriously.

"Check the bottom of the box," she replied smiling at him as he tore into the white paper with obvious curiosity what the little witch would have decided to give him.

He dug out a bottle of whiskey and a large box of his favourite cigars. Obviously the witch had been taking notes mentally to what things he liked the most because she nailed it completely. Logan didn't like anything unpractical and the present would serve him good on brooding nights away from the mansion.

"That's more like it. Open yours," Logan said and pointed towards a box sitting by the foot of her bed. Emma eyed it curiously for a moment before standing from up from the bed and walking to it. Opening it she let out a small gasp of surprise, her crazy friend had given her a motorcycle helmet and a leather biker jacket.

"Want you in one piece kid" he said as an answer to her surprised look at the helmet. Emma was probably the first witch in history to have her own motorcycle helmet as most would prefer the normal way of travelling that was apparating.

"Come here I want to give you a proper hug," she said emotionally, her arms wrapping around his waist while his heavy harms pulled her in close to his warm chest. Cigar smell, Emma never would have thought that the smell of cigars would remind her of the great bond and friendship she shared with the dangerous mutant.

Few moments later Logan had helped her to put on the jacket and the helmet, it had been a struggle with the helmet as it was new but Logan managed to pop it on her head. He couldn't help grinning looking at her in the jacket that fit her snugly, showing every curve and making her look good enough to eat.

That was until the little witch decided to be a comic.

"Don't I look like a badass, a mini Wolverine?" Emma asked laughing, trying to look as intimidating as possible while knowing well she looked nothing like that. Ridiculous would be more like it but it didn't matter; the present had made her happy and given her a feeling of belonging.

"No you look like an idiot," Logan answered rolling his eyes at Emma's antics while a small smile tugged at his lips. There was something about that witch that just melted his resolve, seeing her smile so cheerfully at him was incredibly disarming and a much stronger weapon than he would ever let her know.

"Happy Christmas to you too Logan." She laughed sticking her tongue out at him while his back was turned stealing a few more of the delicious cookies.

* * *

"Emma, come to my office one moment," Charles Xavier said warmly after a relaxed dinner on Boxing day.

"The principal office, you must have been naughty this year," Ororo said and winked teasingly at Emma as she walked past, following Xavier out of the room.

As the two of them settled into his office, Xavier smiled warmly at Emma who was eying him rather suspiciously.

"Don't worry; you are not here to be scolded, quite the opposite. Christmas is a time for family and friends but also a bittersweet holiday for those that have loved ones far apart."

Emma nodded silently in agreement, trying to ignore the big lump in her throat at his words. She had been heartbroken the entire day, ever since skimpy had arrived. Distance did make the heart go fonder and Emma had realized just how much she loved and missed her friends back home.

"I wanted to give you something for Christmas but for the life of me i did not know what to give you. Finally it dawned on me. What you would enjoy the most would be to talk to your loved ones back home and I can certainly help you to do that. I have a secure line from this house to call whomever you want, wherever they are located in the world."

"I don't know what to say Charles, that is absolutely wonderful," Emma replied enthusiastically before a slight hesitation awoke in her. The temptation was great to contact her friends but she had no idea how muggle contraptions worked and if it was even safe to use one to contact her friends. Xavier had to know more about telephones than she did so she sought out to get reassurance from him.

"Are you certain that it's safe?"

"Certainly, as safe as it can ever be," Charles Xavier replied warmly before leaving the office and allowing Emma to make the call.

* * *

"Moine? Is that you?" Emma asked hesitantly and trying to not talk too fast as she always did when she felt exited.

"Yes, this is Hermione. Who am I speaking to?"Hermione answered politely and obviously didn't recognize Emma's voice on the phone. No wonder as Emma had never called anyone in the magic community before and it felt strange to hear her old friend from a muggle contraption.

"Now I know I have been away too long when you don't even know your favourite schoolmate from Hogwarts and of course a cherished friend," Emma drawled and enjoyed the thrilled gasp from the other end of the line.

An exited Hermione Granger gushed into the phone while Emma chuckled happily finally at long last hearing her friend's voice, "Sweet Merlin! Emma!"

"Hang on a moment, I have to call Ron, he will be thrilled," Hermione laughed before disappearing from the end of the line. There was silence for a few seconds before Emma could hear Moine's voice roaring very uncharacteristically, "Ronald Weasley, get in here this instant! Emma is on the phone!"

"Sorry Emma, I was just calling Ron, he'd love to hear you too," Hermione said merrily into the phone as if she had just popped for a coffee and not shouted at the top of her lungs.

"I heard that, most of your neighbourhood could as well," Emma said sardonically. Muggle or not, magical people seemed to be incredibly uninterested in normal every day electricity equipment. Phones were the worst of them all, as proven by Ron's next reaction.

"Tell Emma that I say hi!" Ron called loudly as if he was trying to shout over the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the mansion in America. Emma managed to shift the phone away from her ear mere second after he started shouting; she had expected this from Ron after seeing him trying to phone Harry up a few times.

"I'm sure she heard you Ron, there really is no need to shout like a banshee," Hermione scolded him while Emma tried unsuccessfully to hide a bubbling, joyful laughter. She had missed them, the banters, the solid familiarity and friendship she shared with the three Gryffindors.

"I heard him all right; did he learn to talk on the phone from Mr. Weasley?" Emma asked laughing merrily as Ron continued to shout in the background.

"Arthur is positive that the best way to speak on muggle contraptions is to yell as loud as you can," Hermione said sarcastically and right away getting exuberant protests from Ron who was not happy about Emma making fun of his dad.

"Oi, stop that. My father is a great man," Ron said proudly of his father who was known for his enthusiasm when it came to muggles. It was true, compared to most fathers Emma knew Arthur Weasley was the best. He loved his family and would sacrifice anything for their well being. Harry, Hermione and herself had found their second home at the Burrow and had loved every minute of their time with the Weasley clan. Emma had always felt extremely welcome by most of the Wesley's, that was to say, besides Molly who never really liked Emma.

"We know Ron, we all love your family," Hermione said in a gentile tone, out of the four she had always been the peace keeper. The brain of Gryffindor was one that smoothed things over when the others got their feathers ruffled and that was quite often. Hermione had realize sooner than the others that clashes were bound to happen when dealing with a group of passionate people that had strong opinions about everything under the sun.

"Emma where have you been all this time? We tried looking for you, even Dumbledore wouldn't tell us anything and he loves to gossip."

"I would bloody well hope not as it wasn't his job to say," Emma said testily as she would not have been surprised in the slightest if he had hinted something.

"Where have you been hiding these months, it's been what four months since we last saw you?"

"Something like that," Emma replied vaguely while her mind raced with explanations for her disappearance. Trust Hermione to start the investigation so upfront. They had been worried, of course they had been. Guilt bubbled at her chest for not having been in contact sooner, no matter how many ethical boundaries she was breaking by contacting them while under the Fidelius charm.

"Where in Merlin's name is she? Does she need us to fetch her; is she in some kind of trouble?" Ron's unusually concerned voice hollered and it made Emma feel touched at how ready Ron was to come and get her if there was trouble. Such was the love between the four that throwing oneself into danger did not matter; the friendship was strong and outvoted everything else. Even Death Eaters couldn't and even Voldemort himself couldn't kill the friendship between them.

"Ron, let me take care of this. Aren't you late to your Quidditch practise?" Hermione asked with an obvious intent of getting rid of Ron's shouting from the conversation.

"I'm going, I will be off the team if I'm late again in the same week," Ron mumbled next to the phone before a very distinct kissing sound echoed over the line as he kissed his wife goodbye.

"Bye Emma, come back soon. We miss you or at least Moine does," Ron chucked at his own humour. He was the biggest fan to his own humour which was good since the others were not as often big fans of his jesting.

"Cheeky bugger," Emma said affectionately before remembering a significant thing. Ron was so used to gossiping that the whole Quidditch team would know about her call in less than ten minutes, "Moine please tell Ron no matter what he can't tell anyone I called! It's important, no one!"

"Right, hang on a moment," Hermione said understanding the problem. The other three had always been vary of telling Ron secrets, even his wife knew better than to tell Ronald Weasley something that the world was not allowed to know. Emma heard a clatter as Moine threw the receiver down on the table and went running after Ron to catch him before he would apparate.

Mumbled chatting was all that Emma heard before a loud cracking sound was heard trough the line, a tell tale sign that Ron had apparated away from the house.

The receiver was grabbed and Hermoine's voice chimed, "Emma you still there?"

"I am."

"Thank Merlin, I wasn't sure you'd hang on the line," Hermione said worriedly and it was obvious she had half expected Emma to end the call after all the chaos so far.

"Its fine, I still have a few more minutes," Emma said warmly. In fact Xavier hadn't given her any specific time so she wasn't too concerned. If there were any real expenses she would be happy to have them retracted from her salary.

"What's going on Emma, you said in your letter something about a new job but I never expected you to disappear like that without a proper goodbye," Hermione said and Emma felt a pang of guilt at her words. Moine was right, she was usually right and her observation was spot on.

"You're right, I'm so sorry to leave so abruptly. Things escalated out of my hands and I ..." Emma didn't know how to end that sentence. How could she explain to Hermione that Dumbledore tricked her yet again by using her friendship with the trio against her, Emma couldn't do it as she felt too loyal to the old master of puppets.

No she would never tell Moine that, she didn't deserve to hear about old grudges that were supposed to be long forgiven but were still a tender subject. Emma adored Dumbledore but she also had a darker opinion of Dumbledore than her friends and she didn't want to taint their hero. Dumbledore had been their light in the darkness and a homing beacon when all seemed lost. Emma wouldn't destroy the view the trio had of him by expressing her personal grievances of the old wizard who was the closest she would ever come to having a father.

Hermione was silent for a moment, a clear sign that her famous problem solving brain was working overdrive on trying to solve the problem of why Emma had left so abruptly as she did.

"I often wondered if your leaving was connected to Harry and Ginny leaving around the same time?" Hermione asked right away as if not to give Emma time to weasel her way out of the oncoming questions.

Emma opened her mouth to refuse but the magical bounds of the Fidelius charm forced her to stay silent. It was a known fact that secret keepers couldn't answer any questions connected to the secret they kept and now Emma was experiencing first hand just how frustrating it was to be bound by magic.

"Right, do you know where they are now?" Hermione pushed even further as if to prove some point. There always was a point with her questioning, after all her mind was the sharpest of many years at Hogwarts. Fidelius charm was very clever for keeping secrets but it had an Achilles heel that Hermione had found in a short time, of course she had being one of the brightest witches to ever graduate from Hogwarts.

When Moine had asked where the young Potter's were it had startled Emma. It had been four months; surely the young married couple had gotten the celebration out of their system after that amount of time.

Still the bounds of the charm tied Emma to her promise. Since she was still stuck under the magical bounds it was only fair to assume that the young Potters were still travelling around, having a great time.

"Never mind, I understand you predicament now," Hermione muttered her famous problem solving brain having reached the most obvious, and correct, conclusion.

"If you did, then I'm sure you understand that silence is of importance," Emma hissed into the phone, feeling angry at herself for having fallen so readily into Hermoine's trap. She should have realized that it wouldn't take Hermione long to comprehend what was the real reason for Emma's departure. Emma had decided to call Hermione in a curious glimpse to see if Harry and Ginny had returned from their honeymoon, if they had she would be free from her obligation. She had never expected that the couple were still away and while the Potters needed protection Emma couldn't afford to be pushed into the limelight by her extremely curious friend. Even though Xavier said it was a secure line from her end it didn't mean that it was safe from Hermoine's end.

It was true that Hermione had a morbid fascination with everything forbidden or dangerous. Nevertheless even though Voldemort was dead, it didn't mean that all of his followers were. The trio had learned in the Great War that Death Eaters could hide anywhere; they infiltrated any organization important or influential enough to have power in society. They were known to be masters at planning and strategizing. Keeping track on Hermione's phone calls didn't seem so challenging after overthrowing every power structure within the wizarding world like a well planned game of dominos.

Hermione, like the rest of the golden trio, often threw herself headfirst into challenges, not wondering about the danger until later when it was staring her directly in the face. It was a quality that Emma had often admired from a distance but detested ever so much when she was stuck in trouble with the daring Gryffindor witch and the rest of the trio who didn't seem to have any survival instinct in them.

"You're absolutely right of course, let's talk of something else," Hermione said apologetically knowing that she had often annoyed her friend by talking before thinking. It was a trait that, few or no Slytherins could understand. Secrecy had often been of the essence during the war but after the fall of Voldemort it had become obvious that Hermione had let her guard down like so many others within the magical world.

"Ever the pacifist," Emma said teasingly, quickly offering peace, and was rewarded with a merry laughter from her beloved friend.

"That was my job simply because the lot of you were absolutely off the deep end," Hermione chuckled happily thinking back on their teenage years. Even if they had spent more than a good portion of their lives in danger, they had had a great time through the years at Hogwarts.

"I know, after all it was marvellous to be a student with you lot," Emma said and honestly meant it. They had had hard times for sure with struggles of was but the bond of friendship was strong as ever. The trio was like family to her, like the siblings she had never had and never would have.

"How are you and Ron? What have you been up to since I left?" Emma asked feeling a little strange to ask such a great friend a question like that. Ever since the conversation started Emma had felt like she and Hermione had just spoken the day before, however it had been four months. She felt a little worried that Herminie might feel annoyed that she disappeared like that without a warning. As always though she shouldn't have worried, if there was one word in the world to describe Hermione Granger, it would be loyal. She would never betray or end friendship with those she loved.

"Well I still have the job at the Ministry of magic and I absolutely love it and Ron was just picked as a beater for Puddlemere United. If he plays well he might have a shot at playing for the English National Quidditch team," Hermione said her voice showing how happy and proud she was of her husband for what he had achieved.

"Really? That's brilliant news, that was his childhood dream to play for them," Emma said remembering not too fondly all those arguments between Harry and Ron about Quidditch. Hermione and she had gone to every single match that the Gryffindors played to show support. However Hermione was always more enthusiastic than Emma, it might be her love for Ron that inspired her to actually keep her eyes open at the matches. Emma on the other hand had fallen asleep at almost every match; something that she had thought was impossible with the amount of noise at the stands with the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Oh yes, he's extremely happy and can't stop talking about Quidditch. Its driving Molly bonkers," Hermione laughed wickedly. There were few things that set Molly off but talking about Quidditch for an entire weekend while at the Burrow had done that. Ron had finally been hexed by his own mother, a thing that had never happened before in the Weasley home, not even when Molly was dealing with the twins.

"I can imagine, I was close to punching the boys a few times myself at the endless talk about Quidditch and its players," Emma said and for the first time understanding Molly just a little bit. Finally there was something they had officially in common. It wasn't a big thing but in time it might be a start to a conversation between the two very different women.

"If I remember correctly you DID hex Ron after a night of constant Quidditch," Hermione laughed hard remembering Ron's reaction to Emma hexing him. It had been much more volatile reaction than his reaction to his mother doing the same thing not so long ago. Perhaps Ron somehow knew that if he would curse like that in front of his mother he might get hexed yet again.

"Honestly, can you blame me? I love him but he can drive me crazy sometimes," Emma said defensively, knowing that no one would understand her reaction better than Hermione.

"He can drive us all crazy sometimes. The newest thing he likes to argue about is the fact that Victor Krum is one of his team mates."

Emma thought for a while, Krum. It was a name she was supposed to be familiar with. Then it came to her, Hermoine's old flame from Bulgaria. Krum was a famous Quidditch star that had made Ron so jealous that he had almost started convulsing with anger every time he heard the Bulgarian calling Hermione affectionately Hermo-Ninny. The Bulgarian accent was too harsh to say Hermione so Victor had called her Hermo-Ninny for the time they were friends. Of course Harry and Emma had called her that for years afterwards, driving Ron up the walls each time.

"No, not Krum the one Ron hated through most of our years at Hogwarts?"

Hermione cleared her throat embarrassed in response to Emma's question. It was a certain sign of just how much she had liked Krum at some point in time, when teased about him she had always gotten sensitive to the subject of the Bulgarian heartthrob.

"Yes, Durmstrang's champion and the seeker on Ron's team," Hermione sounded nonchalant about the whole thing but Emma knew her better than that. It had rattled the witch's cage to have a ghost from the past re-enter her life like that, especially one that annoyed Ron so very much.

"Oh I'm sure that Ron is just loving that my dear Hermo-Ninny," Emma said sarcastically knowing full well that if something got under his skin it was bound to stay there forever. Ronald Weasley had a huge difficulty with forgiving anyone if he thought he had been wronged. It was a real problem, so much so that Ron often was still sulking long after he, and those around him, had forgotten why he had gotten angry in the first place.

"Please not that name again Emma, I can't stand it. Ron is not as envious as he used to be. Thankfully there are a few things now that have pacified his jealous side," Hermione said vaguely and then sighed tiredly. It was too vague in Emma's opinion that was more used to her friend being painfully direct.

"Such as?" Emma asked suspiciously. Last time she had hung out with her friends Ron hadn't sounded all changed as Hermione was declaring.

"That I am way too in love with Ron to ever care about a childhood sweetheart?" Hermione answered yet again being too vague for Emma. Since when did Hermione talk about love as a reason behind something? Never, not even when she and Ron got married did she ever mention love in her wows. She had mentioned soul mates, forever, friendship and laughter but the word love seemed to be something too personal to broadcast in front of a room filled with people.

"But you have always loved Ron so that's not really the point now is it?" Emma asked trying to trap her friend into telling her exactly what it was that Hermione was hinting at.

"That is a very good reason Emma. That and well... I'm expecting our first child," Hermione said shyly waiting on her friend's reaction.

"Wait, what? You're going to be a mum! That's wonderful Moine! Oh I'm so happy for you both!" Emma sniffed happily feeling stunned at how truly pleased she was for her friends. If there were ever good parents in the making it would be Ron and Hermione.

"Yes we are extremely happy, completely over the moon," Hermione cooed in a content voice and Emma was certain her friend was glowing with that famous motherly glow. The two of them had wanted children for years and finally it was quiet enough in the magical world for that to happen.

"When are you due to give birth?" Emma asked wondering if she would be back home by the time the little Weasley would be born. She was quite positive that the offspring of Ron and Hermione would be a wild character, unable to listen to anyone who tried to control it, with strong love for classical literature and most importantly sporting red hair like all of the Weasley clan.

"Beginning of June, we can't wait. Ron says my temper is like a hippogriff these days due to hormones and morning sickness," Hermione said snorting showing exactly what she thought of her husband's idea.

"Like Buckbeak? That's awful," Emma laughed remembering the hippogriff that Rubeus Hagrid had been so fond of. It had been the grumpiest creature that the Hogwarts students had had the displeasure of meeting. That was saying a lot, especially for classes that Hagrid taught, there had been quite a selection of nasty creatures there. Nevertheless, the reigning king of nastiness had definitely been Buckbeak, no matter how much Hagrid had loved him.

"Yes, I can hear how sincere you are," Hermione said sourly before adding, "the only things I crave are chocolate frogs. I never had a sweet tooth in my life until now."

"Seems the baby will take after its dad then, Ron loves anything sweet."

"He's not too happy when I steal his stash that's for sure," Hermione grumbled remembering a fight over Ron's secret chocolate stash that Hermione had discovered that morning. Discovered and devoured in a matter of minutes.

"Will you be home by the time the baby comes?" Hermione asked quietly hinting at how important it was to her to have her friend with her to experience such an important even in her life.

Emma sighed, she had dreaded that question, "I'm sorry Moine, that's a question I cannot answer at the moment. I hope I will but nothing is certain. I will come as soon as I can and please take many photos of your ever growing belly."

"Don't worry; Ron and Arthur are snapping shots all the time. You will be sick of them in no time," Hermione said laughing knowing that most of her childless friends would get bored in no time of pictures of the belly and then later the baby. It was understandable that people that hadn't experienced the wondrous feeling of children would lose interest quicker than those that had lived parenthood.

"I seriously doubt that I will get bored of anything connected to you lot. I really do miss you all Moine, more than I can tell you," Emma said feeling herself get teary eyed as she poured out her heart. She had done her best over the last months to ignore the sadness, the sorrow of missing her friends, Hogwarts and of course Dumbledore. Talking to her friend that sadness was returning tenfold, making her want to be back home in a heartbeat.

"We miss you too, life is too quiet when you're not around rocking the boat a little," Hermione admitted. The last months had been relatively quiet. The war was over, Harry and Ginny were away, Emma was gone and for the first time ever it was only her and Ron. Even though Hermione loved Ron with all her heart she sometimes missed having a girl talk.

"Now I know you really do miss me, when you need me to raise havoc in your little love nest," Emma chuckled.

"Yes, without you it's so quiet," Hermione complained and grinned with happiness when she found a box of chocolate frogs that Ron that left on the living room table for her. That man really did know how to make her happy.

"I will be there in no time, think I have to go now Moine. It was lovely to hear you and Ron again!" Emma said, suddenly realizing that she had been chatting to her friend for well over half an hour. Even though Xavier had been generous enough to allow her to use the secure line, Emma didn't want to take advantage of his kindness.

"Have fun with whatever you're up to and happy Christmas Emma!" Hermione said exuberantly feeling happy to have finally heard from her friend. She had been missing Emma a lot and had been hoping to hear from her sometime over the holidays. Her wish had come true and with a bit of luck they would all celebrate Christmas together like they had done for so many years while students at Hogwarts.

"Happy Christmas and kisses to the bump. Bye!"

Emma hung up smiling to herself. Even though she felt conflicted there was a strong sense of joy for having had an unexpected opportunity to call one of her friends.

The sadness that tugged at her heart was the empty void now that her friends were so far away and Hermione expecting a child without Emma being around to witness it. Everyone was expendable and Emma was finding it a little difficult to face that her friend's life went on even though she wasn't around to meddle in things.

It was a hard thing to realize that life would still go on for her friends, even if she wasn't around.


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything but Emma._  
_

Thanks to my ever lovely beta who has the patience of a saint.

Italics are flashbacks.

* * *

_It's the hard knock life, for us_

_It's the hard knock life, for us_

_´Steada treated, we get tricked_

_´Steada kisses, we get kicked_

_It's the hard knock life!_

_Annie – It's the hard knock life_

* * *

It was a quiet Friday evening in late January. The two friends were having their usual legimens session after a long break due to the holidays and then they were simply too busy to return to their usual habit as the students had taken up all their time lately.

The clouds of terror were starting to hone in on young mutants that had been so far left out of the loop when it came to harassments and attacks by those that didn't understand and didn't want to understand how common mutants really were. A few of Xavier's more obvious mutants had been harassed openly, including Hank McCoy. It had frightened the students and most of the staff to know that the big Beast had been harassed.

If he could be harassed then it was safe to assume that the others didn't stand a chance.

In the dim lit cabin Emma's mind was not on the recent difficulties but rather on Logan's recent memory that they had dug up and what it had showed them. It had showed Logan finding a murdered Kayla, his love, laying on the ground and had been blood everywhere around the murder scene. The whole thing had seemed so pointless and devastating to Emma as Kayla had seemed a genuinely nice woman and it had been painful to watch Logan suffer so much when he found her dead. He had been utterly and totally distraught, more beast than man as he howled with grief.

Emma's gaze searched out her friend who was not sitting far from her but his mind was decades away, fresh sorrow in his face over a death of a loved one that he had forgotten a long time ago.

"Do you remember something about her now?" Emma asked Logan carefully after a while when she thought he had been silent too long, it was not good for him to bury everything so deep inside as always did. At some point it would come bursting out. She didn't want to disturb him but her theory was that if they talked about what they had seen, his memory would perhaps trigger more and perhaps a surge of memories would finally come out. His whole memory might be restored as they had moved around enough memories for that to happen.

"I remember glimpses, fractures of our life together," Logan finally replied, his eyes stuck on the dark horizon while he chewed on an unlit cigar and appearing as if he hardly noticed that Emma was there.

"What do you remember?" Emma pushed after a moment of silence.

"She insisted on cutting my hair instead of allowing me to do it myself. She hated spiders and would scream at the top of her lungs if she saw one in the house until I came to kill it for her," he said snorting humourlessly lost in his memories.

"Kayla used to cook my steaks rare and they were perfect every time, she drank beer from the bottle and, like you, she treated me like I was a human and not an animal," he said smiling sadly at his young friend whose burdens were too heavy for someone so young. Logan cringed at the understanding gaze Emma gave him, the stoic way she waited for him to unload his thoughts. It was at times like these that he wished that he had never started digging in his past; it wasn't fair on the witch to force her to see his life up-close and personal.

Logan sighed deeply and took a long swig of his beer before continuing, "Kayla was sweet, thoughtful and never left me no matter how much the beast in me wanted to get rid of her and fought me every moment that I stayed with her."

"What did you alter ego do?"Emma asked, refusing to use the word beast over a part of Logan. He had to get over calling himself an animal, she had a hunch that he would never heal properly to move forward until he would be able to embrace himself for who he was.

"The beast in me snapped at her often and I totally lost my temper. I often thought she smelled wrong even though I couldn't point my finger on what it was."

"That can't have been easy for either of you. Isn't it important that the man and ... I don't like to call it beast; I'm more comfortable with saying the wilder side of you. Isn't it important that man and the feral side are in agreement when choosing a life partner?"

"It should be. I would fall in love and my feral side would choose the same person as a mate. That time my feral side did not want Kayla as a mate, there seemed to be something that it didn't like enough to consider her as such. The man I am was head over heels in love with her and didn't want to let her go. Therefore the two sides sometimes fought inside of me making things difficult," Logan admitted quietly, more to himself than to Emma. There was something bothering him about that feeling, something he knew he should remember but still didn't.

"Have you remembered any reason to why your feral side didn't like her as it should have?"

"Not that I remember and what else could there be? I remember everything from the time I met her until the time she died," Logan rumbled annoyed. It was good to remember but still it annoyed him. Each answer he got about his past multiplied the questions that were roaming around in his mind, making him more confused than ever before.

"You're right." Emma nodded in agreement before adding cautiously, "If you would like we could try again and check if we find out who killed her."

"Are you sure that it's okay?" Logan asked suspiciously. Emma had never offered to go twice into a memory in one session.

"I can't promise you that we will end up there but we can try. I think its best you think on the moment when you found Kayla. Just think of that and we will work it from there if we are lucky," Emma said smiling reassuringly at him, there were few things in the world she wouldn't do for Logan. Not only was he becoming her best friend but also a person she trusted with her life.

Logan studied her with a piercing gaze for a moment as to understand if she really was able to do it and then he jumped at the chance.

"Let's do it."

Emma sat back in her chair facing Logan who was ready for another onslaught of memories. He looked at her anxiously and she finally asked, "What?"

"So I just think on the moment I found her?" Logan asked more insecure than she had ever heard him before. She realized it couldn't be easy to think back on something so painful like losing a lover and hoped the session would ease some of his obvious pain.

"A little before, when you found the bear head. I remember you felt some scent then. I know it's not fun but it's the best idea I've got and it might give you some answers," She said in a reassuring tone as if talking to a scared child that she wanted to calm down.

"Okay, let's go," Logan said exhaling loudly looking much braver than how Emma felt but she smiled reassuringly to him as she pointed her wand towards his face,

"Legimens."

* * *

_Instantly Emma was back in Logan's mind as he rushed through trees to where a bloody head of a bear had been tossed carelessly to the ground. Logan's nostrils twitched as a fresh scent of a man assaulted his senses. It was a scent he knew, a scent he had known for a long time. Logan looked warily as if he expected an attack from the forest and instead he could see claw marks on the trees around the clearing. The gashes on the bark of the trees were deep and bloody. To an amateur they looked as if a huge animal had made them but Logan knew exactly what had. The long claw marks were bloody and deep. An amateur might have thought some kind of a monster did them and in a way they would have been correct, monster disguised as a man. _

_Logan's workmates tried to ask him what was going on but he ignored them, running forward chasing the scent as it travelled over the wilderness. He ran at an inhuman speed, urgency pushing him forward as every step brought him closer to the source of the scent that burnt his nose._

_He broke out of the forest and saw Kayla's car by the side of the road. It was empty and four deep claw marks were through the hood of the car. Logan stopped to scent the air, it was the predator's one and this time it was mingled with the sweet scent of Kayla._

_He tracked the scent to a clearing and the perfume of blood attacked his senses. For a moment he gasped as if he couldn't breathe, the scent of Kayla's blood was everywhere. Confusion took over for a moment before he managed to reel himself in a bit to figure out where the trail was the strongest. Logan ran into the forest and quickly came to a clearing and in the middle of the clearing he could see Kayla laying on the ground, unmoving making his throat constrict in alarm._

_Running in panic towards her, Logan called out her name repeatedly before finally crouching next to her body. His arms touched her face and pulse feeling that Kayla's body was already getting cold and his sharp senses couldn't hear any heartbeat in her lifeless body. Her beautiful face was lifeless and her eyes, once sparkling with life, were now pools of nothingness, as they stared unseeing into the sky above. Logan closed her eyes quickly, sobbing out her name and rocking her body in his arms for a long time while roaring animalistically out in pure anger. _

_Finally the crying subsided and he laid her down as respectfully as he could before anger took full control over his body and soul. More animal than man Logan scented the air, the strong scent of predator who had attacked Kayla was simply too poignant to ignore. Without any decision he was walking away from Kayla, the life he had shared with her and running towards the forest tracking the scent of the man who had murdered her. _

_Logan ran through the forest only stopping from time to time to smell the air. Somehow he knew that he was getting closer with each step he took. _

_When he entered a small lumber town the trail was fresh. The track led him to a pub at the end of town. A pub might have been a too high-quality of a name for the shed that was in front of Logan. On the outside it looked like an old warehouse or a barn that had been changed into a pub for the lumberjacks._

_Logan prowled outside the shed and could only scent the one feral scent. The others scents smelled distinctly human and irrelevant to him as his hunt continued._

* * *

The vision faded and Emma tiredly shook her head to try to get rid of the light-headedness that was raising havoc on her system. Doing a double legimens in one evening certainly hadn't been a good idea. She opened her eyes slowly and was face to face with a furious looking Logan that looked ready to attack her.

"AGAIN!" Logan snarled at her, impatience clearly showing as he lifted her tired, sloping form upwards, urging her to start yet another legimens session.

Emma's head pounded after the last vision and she was not sure she would be able to do it again. It was a myth that magical powers didn't need time to recharge. They did, especially in such a difficult work as trying to work with someone's memory.

"Logan, I'm not sure I can, I'm already knackered and I'm not sure I can manage another session without endangering you and myself. Magic needs patience, especially this kind of magic that is totally unchartered territory for me," Emma admitted, trying to hint at him that she was a hair away from collapsing from exhaustion.

"I don't give a shit, I just want to know what happened next," Logan rumbled at her, his face set in a snarl and the muscles in his body set to pounce if she wouldn't do what he ordered. His usual hazel eyes shone brighter, much clearer green as if the anger within was somehow bursting out.

"One way or another you will do what I tell you. So again!" he growled, the beast inside blocked the man from seeing the witch's pale face or the cold sweat that had broken out on her face after the last session. Emma looked shattered but the beast convinced the man it was simply because she didn't want to help him. That conviction made Logan angrier by the second; he didn't understand why Emma would stand in his way and prevent him from knowing the truth.

"I've never done three in a row. I don't know what will happen" she said calmly trying to reason with him even if she could see that it was impossible. Logan had never behaved like this before, so stubborn and pushy.

A large part of Emma felt he was abusing the soft spot she had for him to get what he wanted, no matter the price she would have to pay and that angered her.

"Just fucking do it!" Logan growled his eyes piercing into hers, his hand grabbing her fingers and squeezing hard. He didn't even look remorseful when she whimpered in discomfort before her eyes blazed with anger as the control of her temper started to slip.

"Wolverine, you better let me go right now before I do something that you will regret," Emma said in a raspy voice, showing just how emotional she was getting over the whole situation. If there was one thing in the world she hated it was to be pushed into doing something she didn't want to do.

Cinnamon scent quickly filled the room and Logan's eyes opened wide in surprise as he looked down and saw her fingers stuck in his hand at an uncomfortable angle. Clearly Emma was about to do something and he swiftly let her go wondering if she would use that moment to attack. As Logan opened his mouth to ask for forgiveness he noticed Emma raising her wand with a determined look. Her dark, almond eyes, revealed just how upset at him she was and her lips were set in a silent snarl.

After the session he would apologize and grovel for forgiveness until the little witch would like him again. There was no part of Logan that didn't admit that he had mistreated Emma's patience and bullied her into doing what he wanted to find out about Kayla. The beast in him thought no price too high to know about his dark past, no matter the price he would have to pay to know what happened. Logan simply went by instinct and the beast in him happily accepted whatever consequences that would entail.

Emma didn't like him very much at that moment and hoped he would feel it like a kick in the guts when she would attack his mind. The witch hissed out the word, "legimens," and forced herself as roughly as she could into Logan's mind without caring if she caused him pain.

Logan grunts of alarm at her invasion, albeit asked for, were the last things she heard from the real world before entering the vision.

* * *

_They were back where they had left off._

_This time Emma could feel the rain as it poured down on Logan's face as he stormed determinedly towards the front door of the bar. Just seconds before reaching the door he bellowed loudly, "Victor!" before ripping the door open and almost off its hinges. _

_Inside were a few town people having a drink at odd tables scattered around the place. By the bar sat a large, dark figure that looked completely out of place there. Emma knew it had to be Victor Creed even though he looked half hidden by his large coat that covered his muscular form. _

_Logan breathed heavily, bursting with anger while he waited for the large mutant to acknowledge his presence. _

"_Well, well, well look what the cat dragged in" Victor drawled as he turned around slowly to look at Logan with laughter twinkling in his eyes as if he had stolen Logan's toy and not murdered his lover._

_The bartender tried to stop the inevitable fight and said to the two men, "guys, whatever this is, take it outside." _

_As a silent response, Logan's bone claws started to come out of his hands and scaring the patrons of the bar to run for safety. Victor Creed smiled enthusiastically watching the people run for their lives. He was still sitting on the stool by the bar but turned towards Logan as he asked, all his anger, bitterness and sorrow put into one word._

"_Why?" Logan's anger, frustration, bitterness and sorrow pushed into that one word. _

_Victor Creed replied to Logan's question with another question, "why?" _

_The larger mutant chucked coldly, flashing his fangs at Logan before standing up and walking towards him showing his massive frame that still moved smoothly and silently as he marched forward. _

"_You don't call, you don't write. How else am I supposed to get your attention?" Victor sneered and Logan eyesight focused in on the mutants fingernails that were growing in leaps and bounds. They were the only sign that Victor was readying himself for a fight as the rest of him looked as if he was having a quiet Sunday stroll in a park somewhere. _

_Logan took a few shaky breaths before snapping his head up and running to attack. Not a second later Victor did the same while snarling viciously, his eyes gleaming with mischief. A second later he jumped into the air towards Logan; the blow was so powerful that both of their bodies flew through the front door of the bar while the two mutants tried to hold on to each other to ease the attack distance later. _

_The wind was blown out of Logan's body when he crashed into the ground with the heavy Sabertooth on top of him. That gave Victor the second he needed to strike. He grabbed Logan by the collar of his shirt and flung him to a large heap of lumbered trees that were waiting transportation. Logan's body slammed heavily into the trees and Emma could hear a loud crunch as a few dozen bones broke in his body. Instantly healed Logan jumped into a defensive stance as Victor came after him again. _

_The two massive mutants hit, stabbed and punched each other trying desperately to get the upper hand as they seemed so close in strength. _

_Emma tried to focus on the fight but she felt her attention falter again and again. It was getting extremely difficult for her to keep the connection steady as her energy was almost depleted. _

_As Victor threw Logan into a large fork lifter, Logan lost his breath and fell to the ground in front of Victor. As Logan struggled to stand up again, Victor walked close to him with a stern look on his face as if he was the teacher and Logan was the pupil who had just fucked up big time. _

_Only Sabertooth´s blue eyes betrayed some flicker of emotion, even though for the life of her, Emma could not understand why that emotion was even there to begin with. The large mutant seemed set out to kill Logan and it was simply for his regenerative power that she was assured that he came out of the fight unscathed. _

"_I hate to say it James but frankly I'm a little disappointed," Victor said hinting that Logan was out of shape. He was in a way, he hadn't had fights in almost six years or ever since he had met Kayla. After that his need had been for a quiet life, without cage fights and filled with the simple pleasures in life. _

"_Stay down," Victor ordered but Logan finally managed to get the energy to stand up and attack again. The two mutants assaulted each other brutally, slashing each other wherever they could intent on hurting. Finally Logan managed to throw Victor away from him unto a stack of lumber. _

_Victor showed incredible feline grace as he turned in the air, facing Logan as he landed on the top of the pile. Sabertooth turned a bad situation into his advantage as he loosened the timber, jumped away and let the trees fall on Logan who was too slow to run for cover. Next thing Logan felt was Victor dragging his body from under the pile of massive timber. Logan was dragged up on his collar struggling to stay conscious after all the heavy blows he had gotten._

_Victor stuck his face close to Logan's so they were almost nose to nose before growling at him "Tell me something Jimmy. Was she worth it?" _

_Logan mumbled something incoherent and then Emma felt her control loosen as her vision flickered wildly for a moment. One moment she was standing watching Sabertooth and Logan, the next moment the vision had completely changed into the dark halls of Hogwarts. . _

_A younger Emma was dressed in black cloak as she walked hurriedly through the halls of Hogwarts. She was the only student that was out of bed at that time of night as every exit of the school was closely guarded by Dementors who didn't hesitate to suck the life out of people and it didn't matter to them if their victims were adults or children. _

_A loud screeching sound was heard in the distance and Emma stopped in her tracks listening to the source of the sound. Dementors terrified her just as much as any other person and she was livid that the new headmaster had summoned her the same evening as the dark power of Voldemort took over Hogwarts. _

_Emma knocked on the headmaster's door with more impatience that she usually showed but the meeting she had dreaded all day but still knowing that there was escaping it. These were dangerous times for everybody in the magic community, especially after Death Eaters had taken over the wizarding world making non place safe. _

"_Enter," a voice drawled from the other side of the door and Emma took a deep breath to steady herself before ripping the door open, walking in and slamming the door as hard as she could behind her to show her anger of being summoned like a dog to the headmasters office. _

"_Miss Winter, lady like as always," Severus Snape said sarcastically from where he sat at what used to be Dumbledore's desk. Emma stared at Snape suspiciously; no one was supposed to know her real last name save for Dumbledore and McGonagall, it was obvious that her former head of house was up to something no good. Then again she couldn't remember a time when Snape was up to anything good. _

_The witch looked around the office, her eyes settling on a painting of a sleeping Dumbledore. She knew that the other headmasters had portrait paintings at the office, but noticing the one of Dumbledore really cut into her and she had to blink her eyes rapidly to vanquish the tears that threatened to fall at seeing the old wizards face. _

_Turning towards Snape she hoped that whatever he had to say would be relatively painless and that she could get back to bed. Roaming the halls was the last thing on her wish list after the darker side of the magical world had entered the school grounds. _

_For a moment Snape didn't say anything, his black eyes studying her as if he was waiting for her to try to make her exit. It took her a while to realize that he was actually waiting for her to say something. Emma took a shaky breath, grabbing her wand tightly and pointing it towards Snape murmuring the killing curse. _

_A green glow filled the room and in an incredible display of power Snape moved quicker than she had ever expected. One moment Snape was sitting by the desk and the next fraction of a second he had disarmed her, the wand flying to the other end of the office. Instead Snape stood in front of her, his nostrils flaring with anger as he looked down at her. _

_Emma was emotional and knew she had rushed things; she should have poisoned the old snake. A frontal attack was not Slytherin forte and it was obvious by her lack of strategy. She had been stupid and would probably pay with her life; the only consolation was the fact that the greasy git had just seen how much she hated him for killing Dumbledore. _

"_Dumbledore is dead as you might have heard," the dark wizard said coldly staring at the woman in front of him who looked as if she was about to claw his eyes out. Of course she had heard, she had been on the grounds of Hogwarts when Snape had murdered Dumbledore. Emma and Harry had tried unsuccessfully to stop Snape and the Death Eaters from leaving. _

_The new headmaster could see her hands open and close as if she wasn't sure if she should punch him or not. Snape had realized it long time ago that Emma had been affected heavily by her friends in Gryffindor, making her a total dunderhead in most areas of life, particularly about anything concerning Albus Dumbledore. _

"_Yes, you killed him you monster," she screeched shrilly while getting ready to attack him again, this time with her hands._

_Snape behaved as if he hadn't heard her. Public displays of opinions, feelings and loyalty were not his forte, even if the anger was just as in Emma's case. He grabbed Emma by her arms while pushing her backwards to the wall while looking at her with scorn, it was amazing that even in such danger the witch wouldn't shut up about her hate for him. In other times he might even have admired her for her persistence but he was just getting aggravated listening to the hysterical, young woman in front of him. _

"_I can't wait for Harry Potter to find you, he will strike you down you cur. Murdering bastard. You should be burnt at the stake for what you did to Dumbledore..." Emma felt herself getting more and more upset with every word as her fists started to pound angrily onto Snape's chest in an attempt to beat into him what a disgusting specimen of humanity he really was. _

"_If I were you I would have the good sense of shutting my gob, but knowing you that won't happen. Don't you understand that there is nobody left to protect you and your snivelling little friends who think they can save the world? You all better wake up and realize that the world has changed and nothing will ever be the same again."_

"_You should know as you are largely responsible for the destruction of this school, I hope you are very proud of yourself you prat. Hundreds of years down the drain because of a power hungry snake," Emma hissed angrily feeling exhausted from all the emotional stress of the day. Earlier in the morning she had to comfort poor Minerva McGonagall that was absolutely heartbroken when she had heard who would be taking over the school. _

"_Is it possible for you to shut up for a moment, I did not call you here to try to murder me but to listen to me. This excruciatingly painful meeting will end much quicker if you just shut up and learn your place," Snape said in a bored voice, lifting his eyebrows as daring her to say anything against him. Emma opened her mouth as to retort before realizing all she wanted to get out of Snape's presence as soon as possible. _

"_Thank Merlin, accio wand," Snape muttered holding out his hand and seizing Emma's wand, ignoring her angry stare as he securely put it up his sleeve for safe keeping. It would not be wise to have Emma hold her wand when he would tell her the reason why she had been called, he didn't know Emma Winter much but enough to comprehend that. _

"_Right, so before Dumbledore ... passed he had asked me to protect you in case something would happen to him."_

_Emma let out a surprised chuckle before attacking him verbally again, "Take care of me! How? By killing me like you did him?"_

_Logan felt a growl deep in his throat watching the man struggling not to punch her, as if she had gone so far over the line that he actually wanted to strangle her. Emma seemed to realize what he was doing and instead of backing away she continued her attack, fuelled by rage and love for Dumbledore. _

"_What, you want to attack me too? You are an unbelievable coward."_

_That was the moment that Severus Snape lost his patience, a rare thing indeed but it seemed that Emma knew an express way to crawl under his skin. The wizard let go of her arms, grabbed her by the collar and almost lifted her off the ground slamming her into the wall behind her._

"_The glorious guardian of yours made me promise to wed you if anything were to happen to him," Snape said, his voice low and dim._

"_What? I don't want to marry a monster!"Emma spat refusing to believe that Dumbledore would actually have decided to put her into that sort of predicament. Of course she wouldn't, thankfully she still had a freedom of choice no matter how bad things still looked. _

"_And I don't want to marry a snivelling idiot that's certain. Nevertheless it seems that I am forced to bind myself to you, putting myself in more danger than I can tell you, just to ensure your safety. It is the only way to assure Voldemort that you are one of us, at least for the moment. That shouldn't be too difficult as the Dark lord knows about your traitor's blood." _

_Snape let her go and walked back to his desk while Emma looked at him confused trying to understand the hidden motive behind his actions. Dumbledore had had no reason to try to push the two together; a union between the two was impossible and always had been. Out of everyone at Hogwarts, the old headmaster had known how much Snape and Emma detested each other. _

"_Why should someone want to hurt me so badly that I am forced to marry a Death Eater and one of the worst of them by the looks of it? Safe? Married to you? Not bloody likely. I will never marry you."_

"_You are not using your puny little mind. They know about you," When Emma's face looked confused by his words, Snape decided to finally tell her why Dumbledore had been worried about her. _

"_You miss high and mighty, are spawn of traitors. A ridiculous liability for everyone who comes near you, especially for me who is cursed with the burden of having to protect you when you do not deserve it."_

_The young witch stared at him hurt and for the first time completely speechless, a rare occasion indeed._

"_You are the daughter of Edward and Seraphina Winter," Severus Snape said pronouncing ever letter with a force showing how much he detested the memory of the deceased couple. _

"_That was a secret that Dumbledore guarded quite closely because he knew the ripercussions if word would get out. Your parents were one of us, Death Eaters; they left coz of you and died because of that decision," Snape hissed at her as her form seemed to get smaller with every word. Emma had never known about the darker side of her parents, Dumbledore had never told her and hearing it from Snape she knew it to be true. Dumbledore had wanted to hide her last name from the students and staff, making her use another one but had never really explained that decision well. Emma had been only eleven years old at the time, totally in awe of Dumbledore and never thought to ask him why. _

"_The least you can do is to respect their sacrifice by trying to stay alive no matter how insignificant you really are."_

"_I have the feeling I won't stay alive very long anyway if I am around you. I won't marry you," Emma replied tartly. _

"_That is certainly your decision just as my decision in the morning will be to send home all the students that come from non-magic households. As you know Hogwarts is a safe haven at times like this, who knows what dangers those wretched little muggles will find outside the walls of the school. After all why would a Slytherin care about what happens to muggles?" Snape said in a chatty tone, his eyes glittering in triumph as he snapped his fingers. At the same instant a house elf popped up._

"_Sir?" the young house elf asked obediently waiting for Snape's wishes. _

"_I want you to prepare all the muggle students for their immediate departure in the morning..."_

"_No, Snape. Please don't do this," Emma muttered as she could feel Dumbledore's will cast a cage around her. She knew she didn't want to align herself with Snape but the decision was out of her hands and perhaps it always had been so. _

"_So will you marry me or will you run like a snivelling child, putting others in danger simply because you are a coward?" Snape asked mockingly, a victorious grin showing just how much he had enjoyed that little ploy. _

The vision ended and darkness embraced the minds of the two friends.

* * *

When Logan finally regained consciousness his scenes were filled with the tangy metallic scent of fresh blood at his nostrils flared and his eyes shot open in alarm. He knew that scent anywhere, it was Emma.

In a direct line of sight he saw Emma slumped over in her chair, the long, dark locks of hair covering her face totally. She was completely out and almost curled up in fetal position on the small chair, her wand laying beside the chair where the witch had dropped it.

"Em?" Logan rumbled as he shot out of the chair to stand beside her. The witch didn't stir as he sat her up and started stroking her hair out of her face as he could smell the blood from there. Her face was very pale, contrasting incredibly so with the blood that was trickling from one of her nostrils.

"Emma darlin´ can you hear me?" he asked and studied her carefully, nervousness etching his features. Logan knew he had fucked up; he had pushed her too far. Her breathing seemed normal and he could hear her heart beat steadily in her chest. Logan extended his arm and dried the blood with the sleeve of his shirt and then stood up wondering what he should do next.

He sighed agitatedly and ran a hand through his mane of hair in confusion. He couldn't bring her to Xavier's like this; he would lay her on the cot and see if she would recover. By morning, if nothing had changed, he would call Hank.

Finally he decided to lift her into his arms and carefully lay her on the small cot. After making sure she was as comfortable as possible, he sat down beside the cot, his sharp gaze never leaving her as he waited for her to stir.

As Logan studied her pale face, his thoughts raced thinking of the things he had witnessed and the inexcusable thing he had done to his friend.

In the early morning Emma finally awoke and the first thing she noticed were Logan's hazel eyes peering anxiously down at her and as her vision expanded she saw that his face was contorted in lines of worry.

"Hey," she mumbled and struggled to get up. Logan put his large hands down on her shoulders and pushed her firmly down to the cot. She wasn't going anywhere if he could help it, what she needed was rest.

"You ain't getting up yet," he said decisively and she had to agree with him when the headache started. It was if a large drum was booming in her scalp from the inside out.

Seeing her flinch in pain Logan asked worriedly, "what is it?"

"Nasty headache," Emma replied and reached out for his hand as for comfort. His large hand covered hers and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"How do you feel besides the headache?" Logan asked and she quirked his eyebrow at him as if asking if he was serious.

"I feel tired, this shouldn't have happened," Emma said truthfully even though no anger was in her voice. Logan bowed his head in embarrassment at her words. He had spent the entire night thinking of how to discuss what had happened, how to make her understand and how to apologize.

"I wish someone had warned you about me darlin´, that I wasn't any good and that I would end up hurting you like everyone else that comes near me. Maybe it was good that you found out this early in the game that there are times were I am not in total control, that there are moments that the animal within is much stronger than the man. I'm so sorry," Logan stared at her intently hoping she would understand at least a fraction of how much she meant to him. Leaving all magic behind and memories, the woman mattered more to him than he had realized. Without her life would be a very dark place to live and he prayed she wouldn't push him out of her life and terminate their friendship.

Emma was quiet for a while, her thumb unconsciously stroking the back of his hand, giving them both the comfort after the night they had had. Her mind was racing, trying to find a way to explain herself properly and needing Logan to understand how close he had been to ruining their friendship.

"Friendship is not always a beautiful thing Logan, I realize that. Every now and then it's dark, vicious and without mercy just like some parts of life. I ask you one thing, one thing that you have to do to be able to keep me by your side."

"Anything darlin', you know that. Anything," Logan replied huskily, lifting her hand to his lips and kissing the back of her hand before pressing the palm onto his chest over his heart.

"Never push me like that again. Bullying me into do something for your own gain with no thought of the consequences or the price I have to pay to make it happen. Never Logan. Not you. If you keep that promise I will stand by your side as long as you want me to," Emma said distractedly, fascinated by the strong heartbeat she could feel under her fingertips. The look Logan had given her ever since she woke up rattled something deep inside of her; there was so much desperation in his gaze. He looked terrified of losing her.

"That's going to be a very long time then darlin´ coz I'm never doing that again and I'm never letting you go. You come before everything, even me knowing about my past. Seeing you after ... unconscious scared the shit out of me, I thought I had killed you."

"Good, then I see a long, prosperous friendship in our future," she said winking at him and smiling tiredly.

"I don't think we should do this again Emma, it's not worth it. I can't have you get hurt over this. The price is too high," Logan said with what he hoped was a strong conviction.

He chuckled when she raised her eyebrow mirroring him even too well. The kid had been spending too much time with him he realized. Quickly Emma's smile turned into a frown when she started to think on the memories they had shared before. She sat up quickly and ran to the toilet to empty her stomach.

"You all right?" he asked her when she finished and sat deflated on the floor beside the toilet.

"Been better" she replied with a shaky voice before admitting to herself that she was an emotional wreck. Going back to that memory had been the last thing she had wanted to do and it had stirred up unfinished emotional baggage that she would feel uncomfortable with forever.

"I'm sorry you had to see all that stuff," she said with a raspy voice, her eyes welling up as desperation crept into her soul. A part of her wondered if he would think less of her after knowing how she had been bullied into a marriage.

Logan sat down beside her on the floor and lifted her onto his lap as Emma buried her face in his broad chest. He understood what the witch meant. He had felt the same way about some of the things she had seen when she dug into his brain. It was difficult to be so vulnerable, even if it was in front of someone you trusted with your life. To trust someone with your mind and your heart was an entirely different situation.

"Shhhh darlin, I understand. It's been hard for me too. Both to see things I did that I don't remember and then seeing you struggling without help. It killed me to see that you were alone, that nobody was there to help you," he said and pressed her closer to his chest. To sit together like this gave them both a sense of comfort they had really never had. They understood each other pain without too many words.

Finally, Logan couldn't hide his curiosity and asked her, "So did you marry him?"

"I became his wife the day after," She answered, mumbling into his chest and feeling a blush come to her face. What a disaster that so called marriage had been.

"How did it go?" he asked inquisitively remembering the encounter in the pensive. It was more than obvious that the two hated each other.

Emma chuckled darkly, "It didn't, we fought every time we met, and our quarters became our battlefield of choice. Snape thought I was a spoiled child with no survival instinct or any idea of what was going on around me in the world. Instead I thought he was a murdering bastard. Both accounts were true I guess in hindsight. It was not the best combination for a successful marriage. We ended the unhappy union as soon as the war had ended. I was not stupid; the greasy git was my only way out. He was second in command and had the authority to really be my shelter but I hated being dependant on him. I hated him for helping me."

"It was a dirty trick he used using the kids against you."

"That's Slytherin for you; I should have seen it coming when he didn't get his way right away. For the entire marriage I tried to get my revenge against him and I failed each time. It's very hard to outwit him," she said smiling amused as she thought back on the antics of the eighteen year old Madame Snape that did everything she could to spite her husband.

Seeing Emma smile tiredly Logan finally realized that everything was alright between them, he had fucked up but crisis had been averted. He was grateful for having found her, she was important to him and seeing her smile so close to his face made him grin like a young kid.

"Feel better?"

Emma looked up at him affectionately and nodded. She adored the brusque man. Logan had huge armour around himself but when a person got past that one realized what a good and decent man he really was, even if he had the subtlety of a bulldozer when he wanted something.

"Alright, let's get you to brush your teeth and then you're going to bed," he said fatherly letting Emma go so she could stand up. As she prepared for bed, he waited outside the bathroom and then escorted her to bed. When she crawled under the covers of the cot he was surprised to see Emma pushing herself into the corner, using as little of the cot as she possibly could. Even more surprised was he when she petted on the covers beside her as an invitation for him to lay beside her.

"I think we both need some sleep" she said looking at him with a little smile on her face. Emma had no problem about sharing a bed with him, they both needed comfort after the difficult memories they had faced and what overused magic had done to their bodies.

Logan looked as he was about to refuse but a determined look on her face silenced him. He shook off his hesitance when Emma said simply, "I'm not afraid of you Logan."

"Maybe you should get afraid, you have seen what can happen," He said referring to the time he had cut her with his claws when he had been in the throes of a nightmare. Emma didn't reply but lifted the covers, insisting he would rest beside her. Logan took the last puff of his cigar before killing its embers in the palm of his hand. By the time he pulled the cigar from his hand, the wound was already healing and the witch stared mesmerized. From the time they had first met, Emma had seemed absolutely charmed by his healing factor.

It had taken Logan a little while to get comfortable as the cot was very small and his body was bulky. Finally he had settled on his side and Emma's head resting on one of his arms while the other wrapped possessively around her waist.

"Promise me something."

"What?" Emma asked suspiciously, not used to promising anymore without knowing what was going on. Knowing too many Slytherins in her life had at least taught her that.

"If I get a nightmare, get the hell out of the bed. No questions asked," He said seriously thinking of the time he had almost killed her in his sleep. It seemed that Emma remembered the incident just as clearly as he did for she nodded in agreement right away.

"Yeah I will, I promise."

Logan gave her a wolfish grin before settling his face in her curly mane enjoying the scent that was so uniquely her. It didn't take long before the two friends were fast asleep.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but Emma.

Thank you all for the reviews, alerts and favorites on the story.

Every single one of them make me super happy.

Memories are in _italics._

**I'm going on a holiday until the middle of June. There will be no updates until that time but I will be writing when I get the chance.  
**

**All roads lead to Rome :)  
**

* * *

You've always been a thorn in their side

But to me you're a shining light

You arrive and the night is alive

Yeah, you are a shining light

Yeah, you light up my life

_Annie Lennox – Shining light_

* * *

It was Friday evening and the two friends had decided to hang out at the cottage before they would go to grab something to eat. It was Emma's choice to pick a place and Logan wasn't too worried as he was certain that the witch would pick the closest diner or bar in the neighbourhood.

"Did I tell you how me and Rogue ended up here at Xavier's?" Logan asked after a long silence, being almost certain that he had never mentioned it to Emma. It was imperative to him that Emma knew why the kid was so important to him.

The young woman fixed her dark eyes thoughtfully at him before answering gently, "No you never told me how you two met."

"A few years ago I used to cage fight a lot. It was easy money. I had my route and on it was Laughlin city."

"Where is that?"

"In Canada," Logan answered shortly before getting engulfed in his memories of the time when he met Rogue. The little spitfire had made a lasting impression on the jaded mutant that had thought he had seen it all.

"After a fight I saw this scrawny little kid sitting by the bar. She was a runaway that much I could see, no other type of kid would have been caught dead in that bar. The bartender could see it too for he hid the tip jar before she had a chance to steal it," he smirked at the memory of the younger Rouge. There had been no mystery that the kid had been starving as her big, rounded brown eyes had stared at the tip jar as if it had the solution to all the world's problems.

Emma was intrigued; it was not that often that Logan voluntarily told her something of his past, especially about something as personal as his almost daughter. He had noticed that Rogue hadn't been very impressed with Emma, mostly due to jealousy and it had made him very uncomfortable. In a way it was flattering that someone cared enough to be resentful but in another way it was painful for him to see that Rogue was jealous of Emma. He didn't comprehend why the kid would be feeling that way.

"Was it Rouge that you saw?"

"Yeah it was the kid. Her mutation had just kicked in not long before that and her parents kicked her out. She is from the Deep South and had this romantic idea that seeing the snow in the north would be a great adventure," he said sarcastically and took a long drag on his cigar before pushing the smoke out of his nostrils. Anyone who had suffered through a northern winter knew what folly that was; it was crazy to dream about snow.

"I left the city after a fight with some sore losers and it wasn't long until I heard sounds that weren't normal for my RV. I found the kid at the back hiding as a stowaway. At first I tried to ditch her but it didn't feel right to leave her behind, I didn't want another life on my conscience, let alone a life of a kid with a whole life ahead of her."

Logan gave a wary glance at Emma as if he expected some snide remark from her but she was engulfed in his story and waited patiently for him to continue. She could understand why he wouldn't leave Rouge behind; she had been just a child and an innocent. No matter what people thought of Logan, no one could accuse him of mistreating children. The feral mutant was in the heart of hearts a kind man who tried to do the best he could with the resources he had, sometimes his best intentions weren't enough but often he managed to surprise himself and the others who were around him.

"I got her to sit in the front with me even though she felt uncomfortable at the beginning. I fed her coz she was starving, you should have seen the way she wolfed down the beef jerky I gave her. For a fourteen year old she had the biggest mouth and the nastiest attitude I have ever seen on a kid," he looked at Emma and smiled sincerely while the witch snorted with mirth. She could very well believe that Rogue had had a sharp tongue; Emma had after all been on the receiving end on more than one occasion when the two bumped heads around the mansion.

"And even after seeing my claws Rogue still treated me the same, nothing seemed to change. It wasn't until the mansion that I realized how bad her mutation was, at the beginning I thought she was just being careful, being alone and all," Unconsciously Logan reached out to play with a lose curl that had rebelled out of Emma's long braid.

Every time he felt self conscious talking about something he instinctively reached out for the witch in some way, either playing with her hair or holding her close. Emma had no idea how much comfort he got from her company or how her presence and scent calmed the beast within.

"I liked her even though she was mouthy and I promised myself I would take care of her," Logan said letting the dark curl go and grinned as it snapped back to its original place.

"We had driven a while when our car was attacked. I got knocked out and the kid was stuck in the car. That was the first time I met Victor Creed. So I thought at the time, now we know better," he said gravelly knowing that Emma would understand that his knowledge had come from the memories he had witnessed with her.

"What! Victor Creed attacked you? He didn't say anything to you acknowledge you after you two spent years in each other's company?" she asked angrily thinking that Victor Creed should have given some sign of recognition. After all the two had spent so much time together and their friendship seemed to have been set in stone.

"I didn't know that and Victor didn't act like he knew me in the slightest. He just seemed like he wanted to rip my head off and I fought him with all I had. Perhaps he has some score to settle, but what it is I have no idea, seems to me that it's rather the other way around since he killed Kayla. Before we managed to slaughter each other the X-men came to save the day. Scooter enjoyed every moment of it," he snorted with the irony of being saved by Scott. The two had never seen eye to eye, not even when they were grieving for Jean. Perhaps they were too alike to be able to see eye to eye or perhaps they were like oil and water, simply didn't mix.

"That's how you two ended up here at the mansion?" Emma asked curiously, she had always wondered how the two had decided to seek shelter with Xavier. She had especially wondered about Logan's decision as he was introvert to say the least and liked things his way. Being under constant scrutiny of Xavier must have been a real torture at the beginning for the feral.

"Yeah," Logan nodded in agreement, "Chuck offered Rogue a place to call home and promised to help me to remember my past. A promise he has yet left to fulfil."

"So you two managed to bond so much in such a short time? Seems like mere hours before the X-men met you," she asked curiously. It had taken months for her and Logan to bond and years for her to bond to the trio. Hours were just impossible to her mind even though she knew that Logan would give his life in a heartbeat for Rogue.

"Yeah, I don't understand it myself," Logan admitted sounding just as surprised as Emma was at that discovery. The Wolverine didn't like to bond with people, usually they became a liability down the line but still he had bonded so quickly with a lost kid.

"Rogue almost ran away from the school once, I managed to stop her and get her to stay promising that I would take care of her and I mean it."

Emma watched his profile affectionately as he chewed on his cigar, a telltale sign that he was engrossed in his thoughts. She felt warmth spread at the bottom of her stomach when Logan turned his head to gaze at her, his gaze too strong to break as he looked searchingly into her eyes. The witch hoped he couldn't see any hint of the feelings that were nestled in her heart, too fresh and fragile to bear any names.

The young woman blinked her eyes a few times as if to get out of the daze she was in, she had to keep a hold of herself and not behave like a love sick child. She would be thankful for what she and Logan had and not be greedy, "I know you care about her Logan; I can see it in how you treat her."

"She's a good kid and deserves a childhood without people looking down at her coz she's different."

Emma studied him silently for a while, understanding that Rogue's happiness was profoundly important to him and that he wanted her healthy and happy. She realized that it must have caused him sorrow to hear that she and Rogue didn't get along and she didn't want that for him.

Finally Emma said to him determinedly, "I will try more Logan. She and don't really see eye to eye but I will try. For you I will try my best."

Logan looked at her intriguingly before grinning wolfishly at her, pulling her tightly to his side and wrapping a heavy arm around her waist before kissing the top of her head in appreciation of her words, "Thanks darlin I don't want my two favourite girls hating each other."

"I don't hate her Logan, don't worry," Emma said not telling him that it was rather Rouge that didn't like her, not the other way around. The witch had noticed the animosity from the girl soon after she and Logan became steadfast friends. It seemed that Logan's little friend was not happy with Emma becoming a steady fixture in his life.

Logan pulled her closer into his embrace in a slightly awkward show of affection. The witch enjoyed it none the same. There were not many people that had given her warmth in her life and she was getting used to Logan's spontaneous bear hugs. They were rough, protective, and sincere just like the man himself.

Affection had been mostly cut from her life, especially after the war had a sneaking suspicion that Logan kept to himself mostly. At least they had found each other for support and friendship; it was priceless to have Logan by her side. Emma nestled her head on Logan's shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. For the longest time they didn't say another word, they simply stared into the horizon deep in thought and clung to each other as if they were each other's lifelines.

"Rouge seems to be getting serious with Bobby," Emma at long last said to Logan remembering seeing the lovebirds snogging outside the school earlier that day. The two teenagers were very cute and even though Rogue had a very difficult mutation because of her poisonous skin, it seemed that Bobby did his best to make her feel comfortable and loved.

"Humph, she's too young," Logan said sternly before almost chocking on his words as he realized how almost fatherly he sounded. He had never particularly liked Bobby and certainly not liked him after the Iceman started getting his paws all over Rogue.

"Well she is only three years younger than me," Emma said grinning teasingly at her friend after realizing that Logan seemed to have no idea how close she was in age to the graduating class of the mansion.

"Really?" Logan asked taken aback, his gaze burning her face as he studied her intently, as if to look for any sign of aging on her alabaster skin. Logan was astonished at Emma's revelation, he had never imaged that she was so young. After watching her memories he had taken her for someone much older but gazing at her face, he realized just how young she really was.

"You look much older than her," he finally said determinedly, after looking at her with eerie scrutiny that had made her uncomfortable. No one had ever been able to give her as powerful, soul searching looks as Logan did. When he looked at her so intently, his whole focus on her, it made her feel almost hypnotized as if she was a defenceless pray looking at its hunter. Logan certainly could rattle her cage without even trying.

"Wow! Thank you for the compliment, I appreciate it," Emma said ironically at his extraordinary choice of words as her attention finally snapped away from his face. Logan had his way with the ladies but compliments weren't always up his alley, especially not when it came to her.

"Come on don't get insulted darlin´," he said laughing at her feigned drama and seeing a bright blush come over her face as she stuck out her tongue at him in retaliation.

"No, no, I'm just an ugly old crone," she pretended to sniff and brush away a fake tear while trying not to burst into laughter at the slight panic that was starting to show in Logan's face.

"No you're not. The difference is that she is a kid and you're a woman. A very good looking woman," Logan said winking at her and enjoying the way her blush deepened to deep crimson at his words. If anything she looked even better when she flushed, the beast and man inside both agreed wholeheartedly on that.

"Oh hush, you don't have to go overboard with the flattery," she said waiving a hand at him dismissively and smiling embarrassed. Emma was certainly not used to smooth talk in her life and it was a mystery to her how to take a compliment without sounding like a total idiot.

"You know nothing darlin´," Logan said knowingly before finishing his glass of whiskey with one last swig.

There had been a few weeks already where he had wondered how he could ever tell her about the emotions that were starting to stir so deeply his chest. It was much more than friendship that he felt for Emma and the only reason why he hadn't pushed the friendship further was that he was afraid to lose her if he did.

From her memories he had learned that she wasn't very experienced when it came to men, that opinion was verified with how shy she got when Logan tried to compliment her. In his mind Emma was way too young to handle feelings as strong as what he felt for her, after much thinking he had decided that he wouldn't discuss it with her as he was afraid that she would run away from him, without her he would be a shell of a man. It was better to sit, wait and hope that something would stir in her heart that would have some similarity to his feelings for her. If not she would still be his friend, the dearest of them all.

Feelings or not Logan knew that he wanted Emma more than anything, and if she would ever be ready, he would be there ready to scoop her off her feet and never let her go.

"So what junk food did you pick for us to eat tonight?" he asked Emma curiously a while later. She flushed, Logan had clearly heard her stomach growl a moment before.

"I was thinking a cheeseburger with fries," She answered avariciously admitting to herself that she was getting way too attracted to food with the word cheese in it. The witch blamed it on the constant middle age style cooking that the house elves at Hogwarts had cooked for her when she was a student and later teacher there. Emma had never in her life eaten a hamburger until she had one with Logan very early on in their friendship. It had been love at first bite.

"Sounds good to me darlin´," Logan replied happily that they could drive to the nearest diner to grab something to eat. Emma knew Logan wasn't a picky eater and probably would wolf down haggis if she suggested it.

"In a few months I will be the size of a blimp, I can feel my ass growing just sitting here," Emma complained dramatically trying to tease Logan. It was embarrassing when Scott had called her the fast food queen of the mansion, what had really mortified her was the fact she knew it to be true.

"You getting a bigger ass is fine by me; I like women with a bit of meat on their bones," Logan answered warmly as his eyes stared at said ass with great interest before quickly realizing that he had put his foot in his mouth. The murderous look Emma was giving him hinted as much.

"Are you saying I'm getting fat?" she all but growled imitating him much better than he cared for, at least when directed towards him. Her growling like that at Scooter was would be very welcome.

"What? You're kidding right?" Logan asked surprised at the sudden change in the witch's mood. She had to be kidding. Drama wasn't part of her personality.

"No I'm not, are you?" Emma asked her eyes twinkling with mirth but Logan was getting fired up and didn't notice it.

Logan felt his temper flare at her words. Last thing he would have thought of her was that she had such a vanity issue. "I am not having this conversation with you," he said heatedly pushing Emma away from him so he could walk to his bike.

"No wait you silly man!," Emma protested loudly and hung uncharacteristically to his arm as he tried to walk away. Logan tried to disregard her protests but it was harder to ignore the soft body that pressed to him like there was no tomorrow.

Logan stood still for a moment fighting the urge to shake Emma off him, when he had calmed down a little he looked down from his nose onto the worried face of the witch.

"What?" he growled at her while trying to ignore her scowling face as she stared up at him.

"I said I was kidding!" Emma hissed at him before letting him go and trying to glare him down. Even though she had years experience of being glared down by the famous potions master she didn't manage to intimidate Logan in the slightest. It would take more than a simple glare to have Logan shake in his boots.

"Darlin', that joke was total shit," Logan finally grumbled after they had been staring at each other for a while as if in a slights shock over the turn of events. Emma gawked at him surprised and when she saw the humorous glint in his eyes she started to laugh quietly to herself.

"I hate to break it to you my friend but my jokes are usually tripe," she said before openly laughing at the idiocy of the situation.

"Yes, they are," Logan quickly agreed before petting the laughing witch affectionately on the shoulder.

"Let's go spitfire, before you end up hexing me."

In her defence and to even things out she replied, "You also have a nasty temper my friend."

"Sure, but what do you expect from someone who's called Wolverine?" Logan asked raising his eyebrow at her.

"True," She agreed with him and then added while putting her leather jacket on, "I should get a nickname too."

"Oh yeah, like what?" Logan asked sarcastically as he held her helmet out to her. Emma was being playful; he knew the suggestions would be beyond ridiculous.

"The vixen? Or the big bum teacher?" Emma suggested, snorting with humour at her own words.

Logan's face was filled with disgust at her suggestion, "what was the word you used before? Tripe?"

Her reply was a snigger before grabbing her helmet and squeezing it on her head. He looked at her face all squeezed by the helmet before offering another nickname for her knowing she would probably blow a fuse at his suggestion, "what about the hamster?"

Emma stared at him with a priceless expression of surprise on her face at his words, "pardon?"

Logan almost lost it right there at the look she was giving him, still he pushed on, "you could call yourself the hamster, and I think it would fit you very well."

Her nose crinkled in disgust at his words and Emma felt Logan's trap snap shut around her when she asked suspiciously, "why?"

"Coz when you have that helmet on, your cheeks get squeezed and you look just like the hamster that Jones got for Christmas," he said actually daring to pinch one of her squeezed cheeks before Emma could react and slap his hand away, taking off her helmet while laughing loudly.

"Come darling let's stop the drama. I can't handle anymore for one day, I'm too old for it," he said giving in and wanting to make peace with the little witch.

"Agreed," Emma said quickly, taking Logan by surprise as she kissed affectionately his whiskery. Logan was startled to feel her soft lips on his cheeks but before he realized what had happened she had put her helmet back on and was sitting on the bike waiting for him. Logan sighed deeply; the little witch would be the death of him and what a sweet death it would be. Logan sat on the bike and started it hurriedly. A second later Emma wrapped her arms around his waist as if she had not learned to sit on a bike a few months earlier.

* * *

"Ororo why is this tension between Logan and Scott? Most of the times it looks like they hate each other," Emma asked curiously after yet another argument by the dinner table at the mansion. The two men had gotten into such a heated argument that Scott had retreated to the danger room while Logan had opted for leaving the mansion for the evening to went his temper somewhere else.

"They are so different, like black and white. Each dislikes the other for the differences that stand between them," Ororo said mysteriously to Emma and a little bit too Dumbledore like for her taste.

"True, I could not think of two people that would be more different than those two," Emma commented deep in thought.

"Logan likes to push Scott's buttons but after Jean died it calmed down a lot," Ororo said feeling the grief for her friend turn more bitter sweet every time she spoke of her. She missed her friend greatly.

"It was worse? Worse than it is now?" she asked shocked, how on earth could it be worse than it was? The two men were at each other's throats all the time, driving the other residents of the mansion up the walls.

"Why because of Jean?" Emma asked innocently. She knew what she had seen in Logan's memories but they had never really discussed his feelings. It had felt improper to barge into, what was obviously, a very sensitive subject.

"Oh yes it was horrible at times. Logan liked Jean more than he should have and never hid that from her or Scott. It seemed that Logan wasn't very used to a woman saying no to him, he took it quite badly," Ororo said dreamily thinking back on the months of drama at the mansion.

"I'm starting to understand why Scott doesn't love him if that happened," Emma said understandingly. Logan had hinted that more than anything he had loved to bother Scott. The best weapon had been Jean so he had used it much. He might have had some underlying feelings for Jean; after all she had been a beautiful, talented and charming woman.

"Yes, they had problems but now it's calmer between the two."

"I've seen pictures of Jean, she was absolutely gorgeous," Emma said trying her best to not let jealousy tint her words. The reason why she was jealous had everything to do with Logan but she didn't want to analyze it too much; it would only cause her heartache.

"She was, not only on the outside but a wonderful person and a dear friend," Ororo said nostalgia in her voice as she thought back on the good times she had spent with her dearest friend.

"You sound as if you miss her immensely," Emma noted looking at Ororo who was battling with tears that seemed close to falling.

"Yes, she was my best friend."

"I'm sorry Ororo. I would have loved to meet her. Everyone speaks so highly of her."

"You would have loved to know her, everyone did," Ororo said with admiration in her voice, she had always looked up to her and often came to Jean with her problems.

Emma felt the mood was getting too depressing and was happy to see Scott come into the room and sit on the sofa next to her. A slight ache in her chest wouldn't leave her alone; thinking of the memory of Logan kissing Jean was at the forefront of her mind.

The young witch hadn't really spoken much with Scott since she and Logan had become friends and she felt slightly guilty for it. He was a friendly guy who was a bit quiet and reserved, at least to her. He was still grief-stricken even though a year had passed since Jean´s sacrifice.

He was staring at her from behind his thick sunglasses, making her self-conscious. It was extremely uncomfortable for her not to be able to see his eyes but there was no way she would ever see Scott without his glasses off. Ororo had warned her to run like the wind if he ever did not have his glasses on.

"You two want to come to the movies? I don't want to spend another night cooped up in here," Scott said unusually restless.

Emma and Ororo stared at him in surprise, usually he locked himself in his room after dinner and not to be seen again until next morning when he would come out to teach classes. Both of the women nodded in agreement and Scott smiled contentedly at them.

"Let's go find Hank and get him to come with us," he said ushering them out the door.

* * *

Emma didn't know how Logan had managed to squeeze himself behind the walls of protection that encircled her constantly. Growing up, her defences had always been high up, keeping everyone out. For a long time Emma had deceived herself into thinking that she was only helping Logan when in all honesty he had returned the favour. The numbness and deep darkness that had engulfed her like a thick blanket, ever since the final stand against Voldemort, had started to dissolve around her little by little, without her even noticing.

It wasn't until months after arriving that Emma realized that she had changed a lot in a short time. Even Xavier took notice as he pointed out slyly, that she seemed more carefree than upon her arrival. Sure enough, life was not all unicorns and butterflies and never would be, but Emma felt herself more willing to engage with people around her and even try to have a little fun while going through life.

Logan was at the foreground of this drastic change in her, that much she could admit to herself. His stubborn way of drilling himself into her heart had disarmed and startled the young witch in the beginning. Emma had always been quite conservative when it came to friendships, only keeping company with the three Gryffindors and a few others that were connected to Dumbledore's army. Coming to Xavier's had changed her life in just a few months. Letting a hairy, old mutant into her life had possibly been the best decision of her adult life.

Emma stood by the kitchen window, sipping on a coffee and watching with a glint in her eye as most of the staff and students enjoyed a surprisingly sunny day so early in the year. Logan stealthily sneaked up on Ororo who was talking to Kitty paying no attention to things around her. The man quickly grabbed the unsuspecting woman into his arms and then jumped into the pool with her screaming with anger at getting her clothes wet. Hank snorted with laughter at their antics and Ororo was obviously less than impressed as she splashed water angrily at Logan, who had a devil may care grin on his lips as he observed the hissing woman in front of him. Emma felt herself laughing heartily at her friends who had become so dear to her in such a short amount of time.

Emma had forgotten that not far from her were two mutants, with super senses, that could hear fantastically well. Only moments after her laughter erupted from her, Hank and Logan looked around locating the sound and looking directly at the window where she stood. Hank waved a large blue hand and Logan lifted his eyebrow in a signature look that she enjoyed much more when it was not directed her way. Emma stopped laughing embarrassed by all the attention that was bestowed upon her due to her snooping. It was hard her to stand from out the shadows where she had been lurking for so long.

"Smartasses," she grumbled under her breath hoping that the two troublemakers would just look away. Hank and Logan looked at each other and laughed as if they had heard what she had said. It took her a few moments to realize that they actually had.

"Come on Em, want to take a little dip like 'Ro?" Logan called mischievously pointing at Ororo that was clawing herself out of the pool, her wet clothes making it much more difficult for her as their heaviness pulled her down. Everyone who were by the pool openly stared Emma's way and a few waved at her to come join them.

Emma growled in honest at the attention was bestowed on her. She might have gone a long way, but being stared at was beyond uncomfortable. She felt strangely uncomfortable and vulnerable for being caught staring at her friends, it almost felt as if she had been spying.

As always when cornered her short temper showed its ugly head, "Bloody dreadful super senses of those two, they will drive me bonkers one of these days."

Moments like that would happen frequently as her life progressed at Xavier's. It was a real wake up call to her introvert senses that were slowly being shocked back to life by her friendship with the mutants of all ages at the mansion.

* * *

_Emma watched stunned as Logan's memory unfolded in front of her eyes. She had seen many gory things but this was one of the worst. Total carnage; those were the only words that could fully explain the situation in front of her. There were bodies scattered everywhere, body parts around and smoke filled the air. Dead bodies were being thrown at an open fire and the scent made the witch gag with disgust._

_The colonel was talking to Logan when a woman's scream was heard close by. Logan stopped in a middle of a sentence, his head snapped up and his eyes locked on a hut close by. He pounced towards the hut where the wailing came from, his face looking very alarmed. A child's cry sounded in the air mixing disturbingly with the shrieks of the woman. As Logan came closer the child's wailing stopped abruptly as its body was slammed roughly into the nearest wall. He ran in to see a Victor Creed tearing the clothes off a terrified young woman that looked as if she had been through a meat grinder._

_"What the hell are you doing?" Logan roared as he attacked the enormous man who seemed too focused in the woman to pay attention to the angry mutant that was about to attack. Logan jumped on Victor and vicious fighting and snarling ensured. After only a few seconds there was nothing whole left inside the hut, everything had been broken and destroyed. Emma only looked inside for a few seconds; still it was plenty of time to notice a body of an infant in one corner, discarded like a broken toy. The baby was dead; there was no question of that. Emma felt sick and for the first time in a memory coming from Logan, she wanted to leave before it finished._

_The two men were not fighting for fun; they looked as if they wanted to kill each other. Victor looked furious that Logan had pulled him away from his pray, so furious that he was trying his best to stab his sharp talons into the chest of his opponent._

_"You're a fucking monster Victor," Logan snarled as he sunk his bone claws into the other mans side. Victor brushed him away looking better than he should have after being stabbed._

_"Now Jimmy if I am one what are you then little brother?" Victor snarled in a condescending way to Logan and grinning sadistically when his younger brother growled at him in anger._

* * *

The vision ended abruptly and Emma sat opposite a very pissed of Logan. His nostrils were flaring as he inhaled in sharp breaths, showing just how upset he was over the horrible things they had just witnessed. Fighting for control of his temper ended when he saw understanding in Emma's eyes. It seemed that witch understood perfectly why he was so shocked and angry.

"Creed, Victor Creed is my brother?" Logan was livid, his nostrils flared and the vein on his neck was protruding alarmingly out in his fury.

"Goddammit!" Logan finally bellowed at her, his face filled with fury as if he wanted to tear the cabin down with his bare hands. He looked around wildly before turning his back on Emma, storming out of the cabin and slamming the door loudly behind him.

"Logan?" Emma called but was quite certain that he didn't want to listen, not this time around. He was too angry to think straight, let alone stable enough to be able to have a conversation with her about what they had seen. He would need time to blow off steam.

A few seconds later she could hear his bike starting up, the powerful engine roaring to life before Logan hurried away from the cabin, Emma and all the memories he had made with the mutants at Xavier's.


	25. Chapter 25

You see the look that's on my face

You might think I'm out of place

I'm not lost, no, no, just undiscovered

**Undiscovered – James Morrison**

* * *

Over two weeks had passed since Logan had left the cabin in fury over his connection with Victor Creed and Emma had started to miss him immensely. She had been startled when it dawned on her just how big part of her life Logan really was. Without him in her life, everything seemed a bit bland, as if all the colours in the world had disappeared the night he left.

Routine was a strange thing, she had gotten so used to going out with Logan on Friday evenings and when he was gone she felt terribly alone. Emma knew she only had herself to blame, the others of the mansion seemed so bland compared to her gruff friend, he had attracted her like a moth to a flame and when he had disappeared, she was bored to death.

Friday nights were a sweet suffering to her, even though she knew that Logan was doing what was best for him. Answers, he needed so many answers and besides Emma, the only person who could give him those answers was Victor Creed. They had been companions for so long, centuries where Victor and Logan had stuck together. Emma just could not help worrying about the two brothers meeting and the resulting bloodbath that was bound to happen. Logan had a volatile temper but Victor was much worse, a creature completely controlled by his instincts, a wild beast above everything else.

Ororo, Scott and the others wanted her to socialize more when Logan left, but Emma always refused to do anything on Fridays. In her mind those evenings were reserved for her friend and he was not easily replaced, not even by her friends at the mansion who had her best interest at heart.

"What are you talking about so heatedly?" Scott asked at dinner the third Friday after Logan had left. He enjoyed the quietness of the mansion since Logan had gone. It was as if all the stress in the world had left him when the hairy mutant had run away. Xavier's official version was that Logan was on a special mission, but everyone who knew Logan well, knew that he had simply disappeared.

"I was trying to get Emma to come with us to the club but she's stubborn as a mule and won't budge," Ororo complained unhappily after having spent the last half hour on trying to change Emma's mind on the matter. It surprised Ororo how wilful the sweet looking Brit was. On the outside Emma was nothing but smiles, shyness and blushes but underneath she was pure steel when it came down to something she didn't want to do. That evening she had made it very clear that she would not being going anywhere, no matter how much she liked her fellow co-workers at the mansion.

"Still waiting on Logan?" Scott asked Emma shocked at Ororo's words.

He had thought Emma to be smarter than to mope around because of Logan. He had seen too many hearts shattered by the mansion's Casanova, including Jean's. Brushing his mind over the memory of his late fiancée caused him immense pain; it was too soon for him to be thinking of her, he wasn't ready yet.

"Yes she is," Ororo agreed fully before Emma had the chance to say anything. Emma glared at Ororo with unveiled irritation. There was no need to push Scott to hate Logan more than he did; the animosity was quite obvious without anyone helping to fan the flames.

"A leopard won't change its spots and Logan won't stop being an asshole. That's just how life is," Scott said cockily to Emma and was surprised to see how he had managed to rile her up.

He hadn't realized just how close the friendship between the British woman and Logan had been growing; it was a tactical error as he always tried to keep an eye on what was going on in the hairy mutant's life. It was a habit that he had formed when Jean had been very much alive, habit he could not seem to break.

Emma took a deep, steadying breath. Scott was provoking her and still she couldn't seem to back down from defending her friend. She was walking into an open trap, very un-Slytherin of her.

"Tell me Scooter..." Emma said knowing full well how much Scott hated the nick name that Logan had picked for him so many years ago.

"Not a good start, sweet cheeks," Scott grumbled annoyed at her.

It was infuriating to him that she was teasing him, mentioning the nickname that Logan had used for so long to rile him up. Emma used it on purpose; it was a nickname that was connected to a time when Logan was chasing Jean like a prize. A bastard trick, but she was not above using such tricks in defence of Logan.

"...You don't know anything about Logan, his life or what he's been through. Until you get you facts straight you should mind your own business or ..."

"Or what, honey?" Scott said teasingly knowing that nicknames annoyed her a lot. If there was one thing that Emma seemed to hate above all else, it was to be objectified. He had managed to anger her, that much was evident by her face that was set in a frown and the livid, challenging glare she sent him.

"...or you will answer to me," Emma said finally, her voice low and full of determination that made Scott laugh heartedly at her words. His young colleague spoke like she was some kind of a super hero and not an ungifted human in a house filled with mutants who could do unspeakable things.

"So now you are his protector? I don't know what power bad boys have over you females but this is ridiculous. My bet is that he won't be back, that he's running somewhere far away, with his tail between his legs."

"You are willing to bet on that?" Emma asked curiously, feeling her anger disappear quickly. It was not in her nature to be angry for long unless something unforgivable happened.

"Yes I am. I bet you 100 dollars that your caveman won't be back," Scott said optimistically, wishing his prediction to be true. How he wished he had gotten rid of that brute forever. He was even willing to forget about his bike, anything for some peace and quiet at the mansion.

"I take that bet and say he will be back," Emma said determined and held out her hand for Scott to shake it.

"Ever the optimist Emma, I hope you won't be too hurt when you lose," Scott said gleefully.

"Or you my friend, when you lose," Emma said determined not to lose the bet.

* * *

Yet another week had passed and the nightmares that once had tortured her for years, returned at full force. Emma woke from a tormenting nightmare that left her shivering in fright. As she laid gasping for breath, she could feel tears sliding down her cheeks. Some were from the pain of the old memories but a large part was from the sorrow of missing her friend.

She sniffed loudly, rubbing her tears away with the back of her hand. There was no way she would be falling asleep again so she decided to get up to make tea; the hot drink was a comfort from home that never seemed to fail.

"Welcome back," Emma said wryly biting her lip in thought as she observed Logan sitting in the kitchen at his usual spot as if he had never left in the first place. No one had been notified of his imminent arrival.

"Hey kid," Logan said cautiously as if he expected Emma to blow up at him. She looked tired, as if she hadn't been sleeping well for a while. One whiff of her scent was enough to tell him that she had been crying very recently and Logan looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"Kid?" she asked mockingly, "did you demote me while you were away?"

"Nah I didn't just thought you would be pissed off at me for leaving like that."

"I wasn't actually. Did you go looking for Victor? You were gone a while," she noted quietly trying her best to not sound too needy or clingy. Her friendship with the trio was completely different; they had known each other since they were children. Keeping up a newly blossomed friendship with a full-grown man was poles apart from the connection she had with her childhood friends.

"Three weeks, felt like three years," Logan grumbled, not wanting to admit how much he had really missed her and how much those feelings had freaked him out.

"Three weeks where I drove over several states and entered Canada."

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Emma asked curiously, sitting as close as she dared next to Logan, so close that their thighs brushed against each other.

"Nope, Creed was nowhere to be seen. Met other mutants that said he was working out of the country and should return this spring."

"So no one could pinpoint his location down for you?"

"No, I even interrogated Mystique and got nothing out of her. Dunno if she was lying or not," he said tiredly ruffling his hair with his hand.

"Would have been good to read minds like you can darlin'," he said gruffly, realizing how much he had begun to adjust to her talent, it certainly was comfortable to have a witch around the house.

"Not sure I would want to read her mind, thank you," Emma said warily in case he had any ideas. The times she did it for Logan were done out of friendship but she didn't want to be used as a tool for interrogation. Especially not on one as rotten as Mystique, the stories of her were notorious around the mansion.

"No that's true. You have enough with the shit you see through me," he said tiredly as he looked at her with sad eyes. He had known deep down that his past wasn't pretty but the brutality of it shocked even him. The look of horror on Emma's face after some of the sessions still haunted him and probably would forever. At times he forgot how young she really was, compared to him she was practically an infant.

"Why do you do this for me? It's not good for anyone to see my past, especially not one as young as you are."

Emma gazed at him for a split second, studying his face before replying stubbornly, "you are my friend, I said I would help you and I will. Stop trying to talk me out of something that is helping you."

"I would still be your friend even if you didn't do that. You don't have to go through that to keep me as a friend you know."

Emma snorted with humourless mirth, "You really think that no one should care about you? Or is it that you don't want any strings attached so you can come and go as you please?"

"I do that anyway darlin'. I leave when I must, only to come home again when my business is done. You knew I would come back right?" Logan asked needing verification that she knew him more than most, that she hadn't thought he had done a runner. He needed to know that she had been certain he would be back to Xavier's, back to her.

"Yes, I knew you would be back," Emma smiled softly at him and stroked one of his whiskered cheeks affectionately, while Logan gave her a teasing grin.

"I might go back in the summer to look for Victor. Not anytime soon, don't want all of you to carry the burden of my job. It ain't fair on any of you."

"Xavier was certain too you would come back even though he was not happy to get no notice from you. Hank, Ororo and I covered your classes. Scott was otherwise indisposed," Emma replied sarcastically noticing a humorous smile creeping over Logan's face at the mention of Scott, his archrival.

Logan raised an eyebrow in question, "I'm sure Scott didn't think I would come back. He has been hoping I'd get fired since I started here."

The witch laughed readily at that and then replied smugly, her eyes twinkling with delight, "I think he hoped you didn't. We made a bet you see. I just won one hundred American dollars by your arrival."

Logan chuckled at that before saying sarcastically, "so you two made a bet if I would come back? Thanks for the confidence darlin'. Good money you got there."

"No worries, I'll buy you a dinner after next session."

"That's a deal, it's good to have Scooter pay for it," he said smiling wickedly at Emma who laughed quietly. She had missed her partner in crime. Life had just not been the same without Logan around.

"Well, perhaps would have been better to tell Charles that you were headed out. I do not think he was very impressed with you."

"I know darlin', my temper got the best of me. I was gone before I knew what had happened," he admitted sincerely, his large fingers playing with a rebel curl that had broken away from her long braid.

"Yes, it was a surprise to me as well," Emma admitted quietly trying to push her feelings of rejection down. Logan leaving after their last session was not about her, it was about him trying to get his life back on track.

"I'm sorry darlin', it won't happen again," he said solemnly realizing he had never promised anyone that he wouldn't leave without a word. Not even to Rogue.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Logan. Just let me know in advance. I missed your cigar filled presence with whiskey scent and the growling," she said smiling timidly at him.

"And the hugs, I missed the big bear hugs I had gotten used to from you," Emma murmured as an afterthought, immediately feeling her face burn bright with embarrassment. Who would have thought that Logan would break down her walls so easily, walls she had thought were impenetrable.

"Seems you can't live without me," Logan chuckled teasingly, feeling his heart flutter at her words and the way her face shone bright red with embarrassment.

"I'm glad to hear it, coz I missed you a lot," he said putting his large arms around Emma, squeezing her tightly to his chest, before sticking his nose into her hair for that delicious cinnamon smell.

Home.

Emma smelled like home to him.

* * *

Finally it was Friday again and the two friends were sitting at the cabin after grabbing something to eat. There was comfortable silence as the two sat out on the veranda, enjoying the crisp winter air. Logan was smoking a cigar, drinking a bottle of beer and seemed miles away, lost in thought.

Emma was sitting not far away from her friend, wrapped in a thick blanket as she stared into the dark night sky. Her mind busy mulling over things long since passed. There would be a legimens memory session that evening and she wondered if her control would be strong enough to hide things from Logan that she did not want him to see. There were some things that were too personal to be shared, even with Logan. Intimate things that happened in her marriage that she had never told anyone and she did not want her friend to see.

She definitely didn't want to tell Logan about the time she had been with the Order of the Phoenix, drinking herself into a stupor with some of its members. It was far from her proudest moment. She had been celebrating her birthday with a few close friends and hadn't realized how late it was until the first rays of the morning sun started to shine through the pub windows.

That evening she had gotten home in one piece, a little miracle in itself, after using a portkey that Snape had given her as a wedding present. It was a simple gold band that when put on would transfer her straight into their shared quarters at Hogwarts.

As she took the ring off, after arriving, an equally drunk Snape had loomed over her like a vulture, his black eyes unreadable in the light of the fireplace.

"So lady Snape finally decides to grace her husband with her presence," he drawled sticking his face close to hers as a way to intimidate her.

Sighing heavily, Emma turned to leave, not willing to spend yet another evening fighting with her estranged husband. All they seemed to do was fight, those few times they met it usually ended with one of them storming off after a heated argument.

"Do I repulse you so much that you can't even answer me?" he hissed grabbing her shoulders tighter than she had expected.

"No, you don't repulse me but I would appreciate you taking your hands off my person," she hissed, looking into his dark eyes and for the first time noticing the deep worry lines that were engraved on his face. With a start she realized that Snape had been worried about her and the trouble she might have met staying out until morning, when Death Eaters roamed freely in the magical world.

It was nice to know that someone cared, especially when Dumbledore was gone, even if that person was Severus Snape. On a moment of softness, she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. It didn't go quite as she planned when her husband, who never liked to be surprised, turned his head swiftly to investigate her unexpected movement towards him. The kiss that was supposed to be completely platonic ended as a soft kiss on his thin lips. Snape didn't respond but stood still in his tracks until she broke the kiss.

The two, husband and wife, stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Emma decided in her drunken mind to walk away, the kiss would be quickly forgotten if the two continued to ignore each other. That didn't happen as Severus grabbed her waist and crushed his lips to hers in a breathtaking kiss that she responded vigorously to.

Moments later, the two were in frenzy, clothes dropping on the floor around them.

Later that morning she left his bedroom utterly bewildered. Emma had lost her innocence to her husband, a man she thought she hated more than anything in the world.

The next morning they both behaved as if nothing happened, still Emma was aware of his heated glances as they lingered on her neck, where the marks of his passion were in stark contrast to her pale skin.

Nothing similar happened again between the two and they never discussed it. On the other hand the explosive fights ended, both were too concerned to get that night rammed in their face like a weapon. For a single night, master and madam Snape, gave into the loneliness they felt, the lust their shared and the bond that was between them.

It had meant something to the both of them that they did not care to think on. Something had shifted creating a bond between them that could not be broken even though they gladly would have wanted it. It was not love but it was not hate either, it was consideration for each other.

It was a difficult relationship that became even more complex the closer the wizarding world came to the final battle of Voldemort.

* * *

"So last session I ran out before I got to see yours. So now you owe me a memory," Logan said as he stood up to go close to the pensive that Emma had set on the table in the living room.

"I know, I picked out the memory a while back and the theme is betrayal," Emma said seriously as she pointed her wand against her forehead. A small slither of a wispy blue hue came from her forehead and she directed it to a bowl beside her, then the two friends put their faces into the liquid that was her memory.

_Emma was heading towards Snape's headmaster office to have a word with him. The Gryffindors needed help; the spineless Weasley had left Harry and Hermione behind to fend for themselves. They had contacted her after desperately trying to contact Ron to see if he had made it home safely. _

_Emma was following her instinct by going to Snape and wanting to reveal their location; they were in a forest and needed some help. Severus might have been a bastard to everyone but she knew him enough to know that underneath it all, he meant well. It was obvious to Emma that he had done many things to help the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore. Ever the anti-hero, Snape, would never have admitted to such noble Gryffindor behaviour. _

_Emma and the trio were all so young, so lost and so over their head. All puppets in a game of grownups but their puppet master was lost to them, slain at the hands of her husband. _

"_Severus?" Emma called, as she entered the headmaster office that used to belong to Dumbledore. It had not changed at all since that time; Snape had clearly not been very interested in personalizing anything. However Emma did notice that the bowl of lemon drops was gone. Dumbledore always had it on hand to give to students, guests and faculty. _

_Snape was nowhere to be seen but that didn't really surprise her, he was hardly ever home after he had become a headmaster. Endless meetings with the Death Eaters or Voldemort kept Severus Snape as a very busy man. _

_Emma walked by his desk, her fingers tracing the old wood while she stared out of the window deep in thought. Her leg bumped into an open side drawer that she had never seen open before, being the nosy little git she was; Emma simply had to take a look. It was a magical drawer, so when closed no one but the owner would even know that it existed. _

_She looked around feeling guilty for snooping but something pushed her forward none the same. It was not often that anyone could snoop on anything connected to the guarded now headmaster. Emma knew he would be livid if he caught her in the act, and yet again, about to stick her nose where it was not wanted. _

_However the Slytherin in her welcomed a fresh turn of events, a new challenge to break out of the cage she had been thrown into months earlier. _

_Nobody would ever know. Emma tried to convince herself of that, as she opened the drawer more to be able to see what was in it. Within the drawer were handwritten letters and a vial filled with a bluish liquid that suggested that it was a stored memory, ready to be used in the pensive. _

_It had to be a memory from Snape, as Dumbledore had kept his memories out in the open. The old wizard had stored them in vials on a shelf, close to where Fawkes had rested up until Dumbledore's death. _

_Ever the curious one, Emma was intrigued, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and mischief. Severus wasn't at Hogwarts; he might not return for the rest of the night as so often happened when he was being torn between the school and Voldemort. They had been married now for a few months, they were not turtledoves or lovebirds. It was a very practical arrangement where neither one stepped on the other's toes more than necessary. _

_For his part, Snape had done what he had promised her; even at personal risk he had protected her from crazy pureblood wizards like Malfoy and his brood. She had gotten a little softer spot for him when he had arrived home one evening completely mangled after a rough meeting with Voldemort. He later had admitted that it had been because of her. Because Voldemort and the others thought he might be turning rogue after marrying daughter of traitors. _

_The young witch stared down at the vial unsure what to do, as she knew the repercussions if and when Snape would find out. He would go after her if it was a sensitive memory and she was quite certain it was. _

_Finally she grabbed the vial into her hand and walked steadfast to a small table at the end of the room where a bowl sat. It was a pensive bowl, made for sharing important memories. Wizards hardly ever stored away memories unless they were so important that it was of utmost importance that they would not get lost. _

_The bluish liquid glowed in the dark and she hesitantly pushed her face into the liquid._

_A few moments later she came gasping and sobbing out of the pensive. Emma looked completely out of her mind as she stared wildly around the room as if to find something to break. Finally she took a shaky breath and ran out of the office without caring to put things back or hiding the trail from her husband. _

_At that moment she didn't care at all. _

Before the vision ended, Logan turned to Emma who had stood silently beside him having watched herself from the past running out of the room.

"What did you see?" he asked curiously, his hazel eyes studying her every movement carefully, as if he was afraid she would run away from him.

Emma answered with a bitter voice, "I watched Snape murder my parents."

* * *

Logan looked startled when he noticed Emma looking towards the door looking for an escape route. Away from him and away from her memories that had ripped up an old wound that would never heal.

He watched her take a shaky breath before heading towards the front door. He tried to kick his mind into high gear, he had to say something to distract her before she would leave so broken.

"Kid, wanna drink?"He finally said desperate for something to say and unsure how to handle such heartache. A drink always helped him at his worst and he hoped it would numb some of the pain that he could see so clearly in her dark eyes.

She choked a sob, and bowed her head in defeat before turning towards him and grabbing the full glass of whiskey he held out for her. She gulped it down in a few sips feeling it burn her on the inside to the pit of the stomach. She coughed trying to catch her breath and gasped a few times. She almost jumped out of her skin when Logan's heavy hand started to slap her on the back trying to help her.

"Than..." she coughed even louder feeling her eyes water as she gasped for breath.

"Thank you," she finally managed to say looking grateful at Logan when she saw him pour them both another drink.

She sat quiet for hour on the veranda not moving but to lift a glass to her mouth or to light a cigarette. He didn't want to press her; she would talk when she needed. She always gave him time to think, to brood alone with his thoughts and never complained or disturbed him when he felt like that. The least he could do was to stay out of the way and just show her he was around if needed.

Later that evening the witch stood up and swayed dramatically almost falling down on her ass. Logan chuckled seeing her so drunk. Her hair was loose, like a curtain around her upper body and she was dressed more casually than usual.

His study stopped when she eventually did fall straight on her ass and his mirth quieted when the strong scent of her blood filled the air around them.

He stalked to her, grabbed her arms rougher than he should have and lifted her hurriedly up to her feet.

"You alright?" he asked troubled, looking her down, checking for any damage.

"I'm fine" she slurred, waiving him off as if he was a worried mother hen. She didn't notice the small cut on her palm from the glass she had broken. Logan noticed right away the stream of blood so close to his sensitive nose and he grabbed her hand to inspect the cut better.

Logan pushed his hand closer to his face and his eyes shot to hers as if he was asking her permission to take care of it. Emma looked boldly back, her eyes were darker than usual and curiosity filled her eyes as he lapped up the blood from inside her palm with his tongue.

It was the best way he knew of to cleanse wounds, something he learnt the hard way when he was a child, the only thing saving him had been his mutancy. His brother used to do it often to clean himself. Doing it to Emma was a clear sign of how Logan's feelings had grown for the young woman.

A feral would never clean the wounds of someone, unless they were a mate or part of their pack.

The witch stood completely still and transfixed on his tongue as it cleaned the small cut as if he were a giant cat. Small shivers were the only reaction he felt from her while he took in every drop of her blood, cleaning the wound the best way he could.

Finally Logan put her arm down when the bleeding stopped but stared at her intently, the taste of blood kicked awake the beast within him. He had no idea why he had done what he did but he usually didn't allow the beast such free reign when it came to Emma. He was always worried he would hurt her, but the wildness within wanted out when the witch was near.

Meeting his intense stare Emma's heartbeat started to speed up. He felt the heartbeat speed up in her chest making her even more delicious in his eyes.

Finally Emma took the first step as she put her hands on his chest and leaned in, smiling teasingly when his chest started to rumble with something close to a purr.

"You know, I have wondered how it would be..." she whispered as if she was telling him a big secret.

"How what would be darling?" he asked suggestively as he bent down closer to her face studying it intently and listening to her frantic pulse. His intimacy was rewarded with a drunken giggle from Emma as she tried to hide her shyness and it sounded eerily forward and out of character. Nothing like the usual reserved witch he had come to like.

Emma slapped him playfully on the arm before saying in a conspiracy tone; "how it would be to kiss you … to taste you even if just for a moment."

The witch looked up to his face with a goofy grin on her face signalling how drunk she really was.

Logan was so tempted, what he wanted the most was to kiss her senseless as a start. There were other more carnal things he would want to do after that but a kiss would be the sweet torture he had waited so long for. It was true what she said, he had often wondered how she tasted. The beast in him was dancing with joy at the witch's words but Logan suddenly stopped his musings, realizing he had to rein in the beast before it was too late.

After all this time he did not want their first kiss to be after she had just had a meltdown and drunk herself close to an alcohol poisoning. He needed her to want him as much as he wanted her; to ask him when she was sober, when her head was screwed on more or less the right way so he wouldn't feel like a predator stalking a wounded prey.

Silently he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the cot that was in the corner of the living room. He put her down and grumbled angrily, "Get to sleep," before stomping out and slamming the door after him. Logan was furious with himself for trying to be a gentleman and missing out on an opportunity that he had wanted for so long.

Emma passed out before her head touched the pillow, never remembering what she had said to Logan that evening.

* * *

Rouge had seen Logan take Emma, the history teacher, out every Friday since the early fall all the way up to when he left on a mission a few weeks earlier. What irked her even more was that she had seen Logan leave Emma's room on numerous occasions in the early morning. There were no rumours that they were an official couple, not yet anyway but Rouge was sure it wouldn't be long until the two would become official.

After a long consideration she decided to go to Ororo to ask for help since the goddess of weather was the most discreet member of the faculty when it came to students and their problems. Logan had been gone a while but she was used to it, he came and went as he pleased.

Rogue knew he would always return to the mansion, to her. He had promised her that when they first arrived at the mansion and so far he had not broken his promise.

She knocked on her door hesitantly, instantly regretting having decided to come to Ororo. What sounded like logic in her head, sounded less so when she faced having to say it aloud to another person.

"Hi Rogue please come in," Ororo said smiling, sitting behind her desk in her office. She had been grading papers for hours and longed for a break.

"Miss Munroe, I had to ask you something," Rogue said fidgeting with one of her gloves.

Ororo was interested; it was not often that the elusive Rogue felt the need to speak to a member of the staff. She had kept mostly to herself since coming to the mansion, the only exceptions being Logan and Bobby. Her roommates were friends, but Rogue never seemed to let them close to her. As if she was afraid of being hurt.

"What is it child?"

"iwaswonderingifyouknowwhatsg oingonbetweenloganandmisswin ter?" she said gluing the words together to make one very long and incomprehensible word.

"What was that?" Ororo chuckled amused, not used to seeing Rouge so nervous.

"Logan and Miss Winter, is there something going on between them?" she asked feeling blush keep up her neck at the pitying look she was getting from Ororo.

"Now Rogue, you know I can't discuss private lives of the staff with students. Even though the faculty lives here at the mansion we have the right to have our private lives just that, private."

"But they aren't being private at all!" she hissed remembering the sick satisfaction that Bobby got from the fact that Logan's attention was almost solely on Miss Winter.

"Have you asked Logan? I'm sure he would tell you if you asked."

"He said they are just friends. That he doesn't know what will happen in the future," Rogue all but spat in anger. Logan's answer hadn't been one she wanted to hear, that he wanted to be with Miss Winter and it simply was a matter of time.

Ororo tried to hide her smirk from her seething student, she had thought for quite a long time that some feelings were stirring between Emma and Logan, Rogue's words seemed to support that theory, "why won't you believe that they are just friends?"

"Ever since Logan came back he has had hardly any time to hang out with me. Everything he thinks about these days is somehow in connection with Miss Winter and I'm sick of it," she snarled feeling her anger flare.

Jealousy, Ororo knew the young girl was jealous. She had to try to calm the storm in the young girl's mind. Teenager that felt scorned could become a surprisingly nasty enemy, especially when that teenager had Rogue's powers.

"Look child, I know he is like a father figure to you. You have Bobby who adores you and your friends. You think it's really so bad that Logan has some friends of his own?"

"They stay out together all night long, I have watched them returning in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Sometimes he goes into her room and stays there for hours!" Rogue blurted out. When she noticed the fuming look on Ororo's face she instantly regretted having indulged the last information.

"So you spy on the faculty? You have no business being in our wing in the first place," Ororo said trying to rein in her anger. It was completely unacceptable for Rogue or any other student to not respect the subtle boundaries of the mansion. There was only one way a school, let alone filled with mutants would work, by everyone respecting each other.

"But Logan was in there..."

"What Logan does with a consensual counterpart is simply none of your business. If he wants you to know what's going on, then he will tell you! Don't forget that we are your teachers and not your buddies."

Rouge looked down embarrassed; she had pushed the conversation too far and angered her usually stoic teacher. Ororo had a valid point however it didn't help much with the nagging pit at the bottom of her stomach, she felt as if Logan was slipping through her fingers because of Miss Winter.

"Ok Miss Munroe, I understand. Thank you," Rogue said putting on a brave face for her teacher who seemed genuinely concerned for her. The goddess of weather had never treated her anything but kindly even though giving advices about teenage love might be a stretch for her.

As Rogue walked away a gruff voice sounded deep inside her head, "If I'm not sleeping with her I'm doing my best to get into her pants. She's a looker."

Logan's personality had been absorbed by Rogue's mutation a few years earlier; one of the side effects was that Logan's traits and influence every so often popped up in her mind. Instead of being a voice of reason, as he often was in fights, he was freaking her out even more about the Miss Winter situation. A dirty, old man was not what she needed in her mind, especially not when she had feelings for said pervert.

"Shut up Logan," she mumbled under her breath hoping that no one would catch her talking to herself.

"Hey kid, I'm just keeping it real. You know how I am. It shouldn't come as such a surprise to you."

She had had more than enough of Logan in general after his adoration of the newest faculty member. Rogue put up a mental wall blocking the Logan that was in her head. He didn't help her anymore. The more he talked the more confused she got.

Meanwhile Ororo went to Xavier's office and told him about Rogue and her jealousy. Xavier asked Ororo to keep a watchful eye on Rogue in case she would decide to run away.

* * *

Emma kissed his lips softly, as if she was testing the water. She shyly put a hand on his chest while her lips ghosted over his. She withdrew and looked into Logan's eyes with question as if she wasn't sure he'd want her, surely he had to be mistaken when he had said he desired her.

Logan mistook her withdrawal for a no of some sorts and growled darkly in refusal at her pulling away. A surprised gasp came from her as Logan grabbed her shoulders and crushed her closer to his massive body before kissing her so deeply and passionately that she could feel her toes curl up with anticipation.

Emma had always secretly suspected Logan to be a good kisser by the passion that roared in his whole being. That being said nothing had prepared her for the onslaught of emotions that he awoke within her while exploring her lips and mouth as if his life depended on it. Emma felt herself losing control, the only thing that mattered was the man who laid beside her, kissing her with an inch of her life and holding tight to the woman who withered in his arms with pure lust that matched his own.

Logan growled in response to warm hands slipping under his shirt and eagerly exploring his toned stomach and chest. As Emma gasped for breath, Logan moved his musings down her throat continuing his road of fevered kisses until his face stopped by the obstruction that was her t-shirt. In true Logan fashion he fixed the problem and before Emma could understand what was happening, his claws came out and tore the shirt into pieces.

For a moment she froze staring at the huge metal blades that had been so close to her skin but a second later she put her hands into Logan's hair pulling his face to hers. The mutant was more than eager to comply, tossing the remains of the shirt out of the way before crushing her lips with his.

A loud banging sound was heard at the door and Logan murmured hotly into her ear, "don't answer."

He didn't have to say that to her as she had had no intentions on doing so. Instead she continued kissing and caressing the eager man that laid in her bed.

The knocking continued at an even louder level added by a man's voice calling, "Are you there Emma? It's important!"

Emma shot up in her bed and then looked in confusion around her, there was no Logan there nor any hint he had ever been there during the course of the night. Then it dawned on her that it had been a dream, a very steamy one but still a dream. Somehow that realization almost made her weep as she could still feel Dream-Logan's fevered kisses.

When Emma finally opened the door her face was fiery red from embarrassment of her dream and the physical reactions it had gotten out of her body.

A very impatient looking Scott was on the other side of the door. Only he, of all the X-men would have simply not barged into her room, at that moment she was happy that Scott was very much a man of principle.

"About time you answered, I thought you were dead," he barked at her in an unusually harsh way.

Emma leaned against the frame of the door trying to behave relaxed even though she wanted to snarl at Scott for ruining the best dream she had ever had.

"What's up Scott?" she asked uninterested, hoping he would go away so she could return to her dream.

"Xavier..." Scott said before getting quiet and staring at Emma in surprise, momentarily forgetting what he had come to say.

"What?" she asked defensively before looking down at herself.

With a groan she realized why the team leader was watching her chest with interest. The pyjama top looked as if it had been in a struggle. Every button from the collar down to her belly button had been torn off, as by a force. The top gaped half open and Emma blushed even more when she realized that she wasn't wearing any bra.

She quickly hugged her arms to her chest to hide from Scott who seemed to wake up from his daze.

"Xavier alerted the X-men to a mission. We have to leave immediately. You are in charge of the kids until we return," Scott said assertively, a true team leader even if a small blush was on his cheeks.

Xavier and she had discussed that Emma would take over at such times so she wasn't that surprised, even though she was not happy. Secret missions seemed to always happen late at night, never around noon when she was fully awake and functional.

"I will be out in a moment, I'm just going to get dressed," Emma said sweetly trying to hide her growing temper and the need to lash out at Scott for picking the worst moment ever to have knocked on her door.

"Hey darlin'," a rushed figure said as Logan stomped past Emma's door in nothing but worn jeans that didn't leave much for the imagination. Emma momentarily lost track of the conversation with Scott while she stared at the backside of her buddy with a starved look on her face.

Scott didn't notice anything out of the usual, he had never interested himself with staff romance; instead he finished the conversation and turned to leave. Emma closed the door behind her. The witch put her hands on her warm face and took a deep, shaky breath.

How could she ever talk to Logan again after her dream without being mortified for the physical reactions that the dream had gotten from her? The naïveté when it came to men was frustrating her and having risky dreams about Logan was not helping her to understand the male psyche at all.

The witch groaned loudly in frustration and heated embarrassment before heading to get dressed properly so the X-men could leave on their mission.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I want to thank my beta yet again for all the patience in reading my long chapters. **

**Thank you all for reading, I'm having fun writing the story and I hope it shows. **

**Reviews are more than welcome :)**

* * *

It's a thief in the night to come and grab you

It can creep up inside you and consume you

A disease of the mind it can control you

I feel like a monster

Rihanna - Disturbia

* * *

Emma had not realized just how deep the bond with Logan was or how it had managed to sneak by on her defences. For a long time she had deceived herself into thinking that she was only helping Logan, when in all honesty he had done just the same for her if not more.

The numbness and deep darkness that had engulfed her like a thick blanket, ever since the final stand against Voldemort, had finally started to dissolve around her little by little, without her noticing. It had taken a long time; it wasn't until months later, in March, when Xavier pointed out something that shocked her. He sneakily told her that she seemed more carefree than upon arrival and Emma realized with an afterthought that the professor said was bang on. Sure enough, life was not all unicorns and butterflies and never would be, but she felt herself more willing to engage in life and even try to have a little fun while at it.

Logan was at the foreground of this drastic change in her. That much she could admit to herself. His stubborn way of smashing through her defensive walls had disarmed the young witch in the beginning. She was quite conservative when it came to friendships, only keeping company with the three Gryffindors and a few others that were connected to Dumbledore's army. Coming to Xavier's had changed her life in just a few months.

Quite possibly, letting a hairy, old mutant into her life, had been the best decision of her adult life.

Emma stood by the kitchen window sipping on a coffee and watching, with a glint in her eye, as Logan sneaked up on Ororo, grabbed her into his arms and jumped into the cold pool with the squealing woman in his arms. Her boyfriend was no help; Hank shook with laughter at the antics of his fellow staffers, who were coming up from the chilly water.

Ororo was apparently not too happy as she splashed water angrily at Logan, who had a devil may care grin on his lips, as he observed the hissing woman in front of him. Emma felt herself laughing heartily at her friends who had become so dear to her in such a short amount of time.

The witch had clearly forgotten that not far from her were two mutants with super heightened senses. Only moments after her laughter erupted from her, Hank and Logan looked around locating the sound and finally they both stared directly at her location in the window of the kitchen.

Hank waved and Logan lifted his eyebrow in a signature look that she had become to enjoy. Emma stopped laughing embarrassed by all the attention that was bestowed upon her due to her snooping. Never much for the spotlight, she felt painfully awkward under the scrutiny of the two mutants.

"Smartasses," she grumbled under her breath hoping they would look away and direct their gazes somewhere else.

Hank and Logan looked at each other and laughed before Emma growled in honest, cursing the goddamed super senses of the two men. She threw the coffee cup into the sink and stomped away in a hissy fit feeling strangely uncomfortable and vulnerable for being caught off guard.

It was something that would happen more and more to her as her life progressed at Xavier's, a real wake up call to her introvert senses that were being shocked back to life by her friendship with the mutants of all ages at the mansion.

* * *

Logan was highly annoyed late Friday afternoon in late March. He had had a shitty morning in the Danger Room, with what useless teenagers, which were too busy keeping their hormones in check than actually being able to fight worth shit.

The final blow to his mood was when he met Ororo outside the room and she told him that Rogue and Emma had had a serious clash. Details were not clear, something about Rogue saying something to the teacher, her making the girl stay late for detention and then no one knew what happened.

The drama of the mansion never ceased to stop and there were plainly too many female hormones in the house to be tolerated at times.

After a lot of grumbling Logan finally decided to find Emma and try to sort out what had been the big deal between the two girls closest to his heart. He didn't like to get stuck in the middle of the two but something inside told him that it was more than a little tiff.

After trying Emma's room at no avail he went hunting for Rogue. She finally admitted to having verbally attacked Emma in front of the class saying something along the lines of that the teacher shouldn't be working at the institute since she was not a mutant. That pissed him off more than anything and made him want to rip her a new one when he could smell it on her that she was lying. His Marie, more like his own kid, was lying to him for the first time since they had met in Laughlin city.

That fucking pissed him off.

A part of him knew that Rogue had not meant to hurt Emma's feelings and that she was more jealous than anything over the time he had been spending with the new teacher. The fact was though that ever since Jean had told him about Rogue's little crush, he had been uncomfortable and not wanting to enhance those feelings. He had stood apart hoping she would get over her feelings without him having to say anything.

He found out from Rogue that Emma had given her a month's worth of detention and forbidden her to go on dates for that time. It was probably the harshest punishment ever given to a student at Xavier's making Logan even more curious to hear from his friend what the hell had been going on between the two.

Ororo had been less than impressed with the detention and had apparently told Emma so but she hadn't budged saying, "you don't know what happened in there and it's my class to discipline."

It was not often that Emma was so abrupt to people and let alone to Ororo who was one of the few that the witch seemed to like.

He tried Emma's room again after talking to Rogue but she still wasn't there. He had become even more stubborn to find her by that point. There was no way he was going to let her lick her wounds alone over something that Rogue had said to hurt her feelings. That reminded him too much of himself to be able to tolerate that behaviour in her.

After going to the cabin and seeing it empty in the evening, there was only one place he could really think of where Emma could be hiding away from the mansion. He was not happy to suspect that she was at their favourite bar, because it verified that something bad had happened between the two females.

As soon as he entered the bar Logan could smell her scent right away; the cinnamon smell he would know anywhere in the world by now. The bar was almost empty but for a few regulars and Emma sitting by the bar drinking a large cup of hot cocoa.

Even from a distance she looked depressed and Logan chewed his cigar in annoyance as he walked closer to her. The closer he got to her, the stronger the cinnamon scent became, making him wonder if she had been using magic. Logan sat next to her ordering a drink, deciding to leave her to start the conversation.

Emma was silent not even greeting him as he sat down; instead she stirred her cocoa absentmindedly while staring into space deep in thought. As if the lights were on and nobody was home.

He drank his shot and another one before looking sideways to the witch that sat so quietly beside him. She looked tired and not as upset as he would have thought after seeing all the drama back at the mansion with Rogue and Ororo's ruffled feathers.

Emma seemed to take no notice of him as she traced her finger over the bar, on deeper inspection he saw that she was tracing the lines of the wood as if she was lost in a trance.

"Usually I enjoy watching a pretty, miserable woman alone in a bar but I think we should head off home to the mansion, what do you think?" Logan said carefully, not really knowing how to approach her. Trying to be funny was not really his thing, he was no comedian.

A humourless snort was heard from Emma as she turned to look at him with a sad expression on her face. It was an expression he had not seen in a long time on her, not since she had become more comfortable around him.

Logan called to the bartender for a beer and another cocoa and then dragged Emma with him to the booth furthest away from the few customers in the bar. He would make her talk if he had to sit there all evening.

They waited in silence for their drinks and after the waitress left Logan looked impatiently at Emma, hoping she would say something but she didn't. Granted, Logan tried, he really tried to be patient but finally he just burst with impatience.

"What the hell is this darlin´? Are you wallowing over some words that the kid said?" He murmured, getting sick of her blatantly ignoring him.

"What words?" Emma asked hollowly as if she was not quite connected, as if a part of her had already left him.

Logan swallowed hard, why did he have the sudden feeling that Emma was about to bolt? Why was his chest constricting so painfully at the thought of her leaving him?

"Rogue said she had said some shit about you not belonging at the mansion."

"Yes she did that," Emma replied and chuckled roughly sounding more like a witch than he had ever noticed before. The cinnamon smell became stronger in the air and Logan stared at her, concern etched into his face.

"So what if she did, why are you so upset over that?"

Emma looked at him thoughtfully while wondering just how much she should tell him. The gruff bastard knew her better than she cared to admit. To anyone else at the mansion it would sound as a logic explanation to why she was upset, but not to him. Logan had an inbred bullshit detector, he would not buy the official explanation and she would never expect him to.

"I don't know if I should go there," she said discouraged, knowing that Rogue was one of the few that were close to his heart. She didn't want to ruin the relationship between the two or get between them somehow as Rogue seemed to fear so desperately.

"Dammit woman, the kid lied to me and you better not do the same," he snarled angrily, slamming his massive fist down on the table, showing her how upset he really was.

"Fine I will tell you, keep your pants on," Emma said giving up to his fierceness and waving the bartender away who was walking towards them to check on what the commotion was at their table. Making a scene would not help her solve the problem at hand.

"Rogue was very agitated today and I put her in her place like I do with anyone who misbehaves. Rogue didn't like the fact I asked her to stay after class as I wanted to set up a detention. She did not like that one bit so she spat at me that I did certainly not belong at the mansion amongst all the mutants," Emma said stopping to take a large sip of her drink and taking a moment to collect her thoughts.

Logan didn't say anything; he scowled at her and waited for her to finish her story.

"Then she stayed behind and she became furious with me when I forbade her from going on dates with Bobby for a month after calling me a monster. If she only knew what monsters are really like she wouldn't be calling me one," She muttered quietly to herself.

"The situation was under control until Rogue ripped off her gloves in a fit of anger and decided to come after me."

"What do you mean she came after you?"

Emma was serious when she looked at Logan not really knowing how else to explain what had happened, "I mean, she tried to drain me and I was barely able to stop her from doing so."

"The situation scared me Logan," Emma said, her dark eyes filled with anguish.

"She did?" he asked surprised. Many things in the world were worth being scared of but a lonely, teenage girl was not one of them. Not even with the powers that Rogue possessed.

"She scared me no more than I frightened myself" she clarified trying to find a way to explain her feelings without breaking down in front of him like a snivelling idiot.

"How so?" he asked curiously never head her admitting that feeling to him before.

"I don't know how to explain it, please don't get angry at me for what I will tell you," she said, her eyes staring into his, willing him to understand that she needed him to stay calm while she confessed to him what burdened her.

"Shoot," he said gravelly, not sure he would like what she had to say.

Hell he was sure he wouldn't like it.

"When Rogue came after me I tried not to show her how concerned I was. Before I understood what was happening, my hand had gone up my sleeve where I always keep my wand. I ... I would have assaulted her, even done something unmentionable. I... I would have assaulted her and most likely would have killed her if Scott wouldn't have knocked on the door. A second later and how knows, Rogue might even be dead now," Emma took a shaky breath and pushed onwards, she had to get it all out before she would start crying. The tears were already blocking her vision.

"How sad is that? A teacher killing a student? I really am a monster," She sniffed before finally breaking down and defeated sobbing into her hands.

Emma was racked with guilt of how close she had come to a serious situation. She had underestimated how infatuated the girl was with Logan and had not realized how likely a hormonal teenager was to using their power unwisely. It was something she should have remembered from her own past as she and the trio had been impulsive in their use of magic in their Hogwarts years.

Logan watched her silently for a moment before reaching out and caressing her curly hair softly. After a while she leaned into his touch as for support but the crying didn't stop. If anything, it got worse.

"I'm sorry that she put you in this situation but you have every reason to defend yourself against someone who means you harm, even if that person is Rogue. Even if that person is me. Do you understand me?"

"No, I could never go against you, never," she hiccupped and was unable to explain better to him. It went against everything she was to ever hurt him, no matter what.

"C'mere darling," he said, abruptly pulling her to him in a bone crushing hug, while chewing annoyed at his cigar. He was fuming at Rogue for what she had done; her dangerous mutation could have easily killed Emma. Mutation was never a joke but Rogue was burdened with the most dangerous mutation he knew of, she had to grow up and take responsibility for it.

Logan squeezed Emma tightly and was surprised when he felt the witch move around uncomfortable until she literally crawled onto his lap. Emma needed to feel him close to her, to feel safe and be able to trust that while he was around there was no way she could injure anyone. She pressed he face into his hard chest, his scent filling her senses and calming her down. Logan tightened his hold of her, making her feel protected from the world and hidden away in her own cocoon.

His gesture of protectiveness told Emma more than thousands of words ever could.

Logan didn't seem flustered in the slightest to hold her while she was on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Instead he gave her security and love without smothering her.

When Emma finally stopped crying, she sat in Logan's lap trying to calm herself down. The endless crying had done her no favour as her head was fuzzy with emotion; it had been long since she wept like that. For a long while she sat in his lap, her head pressed to his chest listening to his steady heartbeat.

A comfortable rumble came from his chest soothing her further. To Emma it felt as if he was purring and she traced her fingers over his chest in a thoughtless pattern. With her fingertips she could feel the vibration of his chest and she was mesmerized by the feeling.

Logan put his chin on top of her head playing with a lone strand of her hair that curled around his fingers making him feel warm inside. Even in the shady bar, which was slowly filling with patrons, Emma and Logan felt as if they were the only two people in the world.

Sometime later she felt herself nodding off in the protective embrace that Logan had provided for her. She didn't even realize that she was still in the bar; her senses only felt him, his arms and the rough beard that rubbed her forehead.

Logan let her sleep a while in his arms enjoying the very rare moment of her having her defences down. After getting surprised gazes from the staff he grumbled, "I think we should head off before you fall asleep."

"Too late," she mumbled sluggishly and snuggling into his chest while trying to fall back to sleep.

Nevertheless Logan didn't allow her to. It didn't matter how good it felt to have her sleepy and willing on his lap.

He lifted his arms away from her body, trying to give her a hint to move off him. Emma looked peaceful with her face pressed on his chest and didn't seem to have any inkling that she was supposed to leave.

He pushed her very gently off his lap and onto the seat next to him. While she was rubbing her eyes as to get them working again he put money on the table to cover their tab.

"Come darlin'," Logan finally said dragging her out of the bar and driving slowly to the cottage. He had decided while in the bar that she wouldn't go to Xavier's until she was ready to. His instinct told him that she needed more time before heading back home. Things might not go so well if Rogue and Emma would meet face to face so soon after the clash.

Emma had fallen asleep as soon as he put her into bed and had not stirred in the few moments he looked at her deep in thought. He had made a decision but knew that Emma would be furious when she found out.

Therefore it was better to have it over and done with while she slept.

The witch's foreseen anger didn't bother him; it was in her best interest after all.

He headed towards Xavier's office. Even though Logan hadn't told Emma at the time, he had taken Rogues actions very seriously. Using her mutant power like that against someone, that she thought couldn't defend from her, was an extremely serious situation.

Chuck had to deal with it before Rogue would kill someone or get killed herself.

* * *

The day after, Emma woke up moaning with discomfort as mother of all headaches bore into her skull after all the crying the night before. It felt as if she had been out drinking the night before, even though she had not.

The scent in the air indicated that someone was cooking bacon in the same room. She opened her eyes confused where she was and immediately saw Logan grin wolfishly at her before winking cheekily as he stood by the stove cooking.

"I'm cooking breakfast, want some?" Logan said too cheerily for her very sleepy brain, that didn't understand why the hell Logan was cooking in the first place. He was never one for breakfast, usually enjoying a cup of coffee and cigar.

"Merlin. It's too early to be this cheerful, go away," Emma mumbled grumpily before dragging the cover over her head, hoping to be able to sleep some more.

He laughed at that. Countless people had complained about many things about Logan, through the years, but being too happy was not one of them.

He grabbed painkillers from the first aid box and brought a glass of water over to the bed. Emma looked like shit and she wouldn't be able to have any conversation until she had gotten something for whatever was ailing her.

"Here darling here something to make you feel better."

"A gun?" the witch grumbled annoyed from under the cover.

Logan laughed again; she was very entertaining when she was cranky. He had never expected her to be as grumpy as a feral cat, spitting angrily in all directions.

"No but the next best thing, painkillers," Logan said dragging the covers off her. He had suspected her of sleeping in her clothes and there it was verified as he stared at her extremely creased work outfit from the day before. She looked dishevelled, all the clothes wrinkled and the t-shirt rode up to her chest giving him a very interesting glint at her bra.

"Get up!" Logan said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up into a sitting position, before handing her the stuff.

"Breakfast in five minutes that gives you time to get cleaned up," he shouted at her like a drill sergeant, before turning back to the stove.

The witch grumbled annoyed as she got up and walked on shaking legs towards the bathroom to take a shower. A while later she came out again feeling much better. She didn't look perfect, she never did after a drama of that calibre but she felt better. Logan had his back at her but she knew he had heard her coming in, he had super heightened senses after all.

He turned around smiling at her in a friendly way seeing that she looked better. She was not a person of much contact but Logan's carefree way with personal touch had rubbed off on her. Not too much but she was able to behave a little bit more normal when around those few she cared for.

Emma walked to where he was standing and looked into the pan verifying that it was indeed bacon and eggs for breakfast.

"Hungry?" he asked her as he watched her looking greedily down at the food.

"Yeah you have no idea," She said smiling up at him before giving him a quick hug and a kiss on a bearded cheek.

He winked at her and rumbled "what was that for?"

"Thank you for taking care of me when I was such a mess. No one has done that before. It felt good," she said patting his back in an awkward way, trying to show her affection for him.

"You're welcome. Put drinks on the table and then we have to talk," he said seriously.

The witch eyed him warily before nodding in agreement. This was not a conversation she looked forward to.

Not by any means.

He hated when she looked at him like that, like he had just killed her puppy; as if she was certain that his words would hurt her.

One look was a better strategy against him than most weapons because it dragged out the man as well as the beast in him.

Both seemed equally interested in protecting her and keeping her safe.

Even if it was from herself.

* * *

"I talked to the professor," Logan said after they had eaten and were sitting drinking coffee.

She watched him warily with certain mistrust in her eyes at his words and seeing that truly annoyed him.

"About what?"

"Rogue and you," he admitted not feeling sorry at all. It had to be dealt with and he had been the best person to do that.

"Why would you do that? Knowing it could get me into trouble?" she said with an accusing tone that was sounding angrier with every word.

"Look I will not have Rogue attacking anyone let alone you!" he said trying not to let her tone go under his skin. He had to try to rein it in, to keep the conversation cool while he got through what had been said.

"If I had wanted Xavier to know I would have told him myself Logan. I didn't need you to run to him like a snitch!"

"You were too busy running away to talk to anyone, not even me!" he said snapping and feeling the feral side of him skim the surface as a warning. Things were not going well; he had not expected her to get so livid over his actions.

"Well, what happened had nothing to do with you. That is why I didn't tell you!"

After a few moments of glaring competition between the two, Emma surprised the both of them by putting her arms up in defeat as to try to calm down the situation. She wanted everything to calm down before they would snap at each other.

"What did Charles say?" she asked in a defeat knowing better than trying to fight her friend. What was done was done and she didn't like to fight Logan. They were both quick-tempered and arguments turned ugly too quickly.

"He was not happy. He's going to have private sessions with her. It's dead serious when a kid thinks to use the mutation like that."

"What about me?" she asked fidgeting and worried that Charles would have some problem with her now. Nothing had happened but there had been a real possibility of it the day before.

"Nothing. If you would have acted, it would have been in self-defence, but you didn't so there is nothing to talk about," he said trying to hammer into her head that she had done nothing wrong. However Emma looked at him in disbelief as if he was crazy to have so much confidence in her.

"Do you hear me? You did nothing wrong so stop this fucking self-pity!" he barked sounding like a drill sergeant again, before stomping out to have a cigar so he wouldn't strangle the stubborn witch that thought too little of herself.

The feral side of him seemed to be coming out more and more, the further their friendship came.

That was a side of him he wouldn't and couldn't hide from her. If their friendship was to survive, Emma had to embrace him for what he was, warts and all.

* * *

A few days later Xavier called Emma into his office to discuss what had happened. Logan had wanted to join her but she had refused, she needed to be a grown up and face things by herself.

Xavier welcomed Emma into his office and after she sat down he said to her, "we have to try to help you to control the magic; otherwise I'm afraid that something serious will happen. I have already set up appointments to work with Rogue to work on her issues and now it's time we find options for you as well. "

"I agree," she grumbled not enjoying having to admit her shortcomings to someone like Charles who always seemed so perfect in everything he did.

"Don't be angry at Logan for talking to me" Xavier said perceptively, chuckling when he saw a blight blush come over her cheeks and neck.

"He did it because he worried about you and he cares about Rogue. He just wants peace between you two."

"Hmpf, yes I know. I simply must protest as I seriously doubt that you can help me with controlling magic, since you know nothing about it," she said, knowing straight away how condescending she sounded.

"Forgive me that came out harsher than I had wanted" she said when Xavier looked at her severely but without anger.

"It's quite alright; I never thought you were without flaws. No one is after all, and you seem to have quite the temper," Charles said and almost chucked aloud with Emma's dark glance almost pierced through him. At least he knew that she was willing to put up a fight, that she wasn't willing to roll over and play dead.

Emma quickly decided to change the conversation, she had no appetite to discuss her control of her temper or lack thereof to someone as stoic as Xavier, "So how do you suggest we try?"

"I could try to set up some mental barrier and see if that works," he said instantly knowing by her reaction that she didn't like his suggestion at all. Emma bit her tongue as if she wanted to shout at him and he wondered how close she was actually to doing so.

"No offence Xavier but I don't like someone in my head and I worry that putting mental barriers might somehow ruin my ability to do magic."

"What is your suggestion then?" He asked curiously needing to know what she wanted to do. They had to find some compromise, something that would stop a dangerous situation from forming.

"My suggestion is to analyze the cause. Usually I lose control in similar circumstances as with Rogue."

"Which situations are those?"

"If I feel cornered and am not able to control myself. The most violent reaction comes out of me then."

"Right, so how do you plan on changing that?" he asked curiously, suspecting that it might be easier said than done for her to try to change her temperament.

"By analyzing and seeing what triggers it."

"What the common factor is you mean?"

"Yes. I know that it happens when I get cornered and/or when I lose my temper."

"The temper we can try to work on. That's a common thread in all humanity when they feel frightened in some way. Lashing out is the dangerous part," Xavier said thinking on the countless times one of his students had given in to an impulse and then later regretting it.

"I know I have a temper issue and now by speaking aloud about it I might be more aware of it happening and more likely to stop it before it sets off into something that is beyond my control."

"That's an interesting suggestion. You could also go to Ororo's meditation classes that are two times a week. They do wonders for one's psyche."

She looked at him dubious, meditation? Surely he had to be joking?

"Like the children say, don't knock it until you try," Xavier said smiling fatherly at her.

"Fair enough I will try it. I also came to another conclusion."

"Which is?"

"I think it's safest for everyone in this house that I keep my wand tucked away in my room while I'm inside the mansion. Nearly attacking Rogue, even in self defence brought me to decide that."

"I agree with your decision, if you promise to have it with you when outside these walls. I want you to be safe and sound. With the mutant protests all over the country, it might not be safe out there for you, since you have been seen with mutants."

"I assure you that it was my plan to have it with me when out and about. Without my wand I feel empty," she said smiling and feeling as if she had underestimated Xavier a lot. He was not the meddling kind, his tactics were freer. He allowed people around to reflect on their problems and then try to come up with a solution without meddling too much.

Only then would Xavier want to talk and discuss the solution that had been reached. That's what he had done with Emma and it made her feel better that she was able to find the best solution for herself.

Emma left feeling reasonably happy with the compromise, as happy as she could be having to part with her wand while at the mansion.

* * *

Logan woke up startled, tortured by one of the nightmares that had tormented him as long as he could remember. The familiarity with the scenes did however make them no less comfortable. He rose up and decided to go grab something to drink, a way for him to clear his head and keep the nightmares at bay.

Maybe if he was lucky Emma would be up for the same reason. The two friends often met in the kitchen at the early hours of the morning and it brought comfort to both of them to have someone to talk to after restless nights.

As he walked through the TV room he saw Jones, the residential insomniac, at his usual spot by the TV. However there was something new this time. A mouth watering scent of cookies was all over.

"Hey kid" Logan said and peeked down at Jones. True enough, in front of him was a huge plate of fresh cookies and a large glass of milk.

"Hi. Can't sleep?" Jones said never looking at him, the images from the TV reflecting in his large glasses as he changed channel after channel, never stopping to watch anything for long.

"Something like that. Where did you get those?" Logan said hungrily as Jones almost inhaled a warm cookie.

"Emma is baking. She said I could eat as much as I wanted as long as I didn't tell Ororo or Scott."

Logan laughed, that sounded like his little buddy.

"I'm gonna get some too and I won't tell either."

"See ya," Jones said continuing watching the TV while happily sipping on cold milk.

When Logan entered the kitchen Emma had her back turned on him. She had the radio on low and was humming to a tune while putting ready cookies into a box.

"I hear you're bribing students," he said but was instantly sorry when he saw how startled Emma got hearing him speak. She looked around smiling but he could hear her heartbeat banging at a crazy rate in her chest.

"You startled me you lurker! And yes I bribed Jones," she said, grinning widely and turning to face him.

He couldn't help laughing at the sight of her. Emma was almost covered from head to toe in flour, cookie dough and chocolate. Her face glowed with happiness and her dark eyes glowed victoriously as if she had just won the Super Bowl.

"You sure look like you've been baking darlin," he said teasingly, almost having to bite his tongue to not add that she looked almost good enough to eat.

"Yeah, a few minor accidents along the way. You want milk and cookies?"

"That's why I am here, the smell was too good to ignore."

"Sit down Logan, I'll bring you some," she said already heading towards the fridge to find the milk. She then brought him a glass and a huge plate of cookies before putting the rest of them in a box and writing a short note she put on top.

"They're good darlin. I haven't had milk and cookies in a very long time," Logan said happily, chewing on the cookies. It was a rare treat to have something like this at Xavier's as their diet was quite much controlled by the no sweets rule.

"I am glad you like them" she said happily sitting next to him and snatching one cookie off his plate. He surprised himself when he growled defensively at her only to have Emma sniggering at his reaction.

"Possessive of my cookies? I am flattered," she said, eating it quickly before Logan would have a chance to grab it off her.

"Why were you baking? I've never seen you do that before."

"I love baking; I'm just a bit messy at it when not using magic. I couldn't sleep and then I remembered its Ororo's birthday tomorrow, no I mean today. So I thought I would make her something."

"That's nice of you darlin'. Are you sure that the box will remain untouched until she comes downstairs in the morning?"

"I wrote a note, shall I read it for you?" she said not giving him a chance to refuse as she hurried to get the note, before reading aloud to Logan.

"To Ororo. Happy birthday. Here is a small present to show you how welcome you have made me feel. Emma. P.S. If someone other than Ororo touches the box, they will have to clean Wolverine's claws for a month," Emma beamed at him and Logan couldn't stop a chuckle. The imagination of his little friend far passed his own. She was right to assume that no one would touch the box.

"Oi, When is your birthday? I didn't see it on the calendar," Emma asked exuberantly, finally remembering to ask him a question that had been on her mind for months.

"I don't remember my birthday" he said dryly. Birthdays were for pansies or at least his defensive mind put it like that.

"But that's barmy Logan."

"Barmy?"

"Crazy," She said sometimes forgetting that the British slang was not always understood by Logan. After so many months she was in the habit of translating odd words to him without much fuzz.

"I really don't care that much about birthdays. Getting warm cookies, I care more about."

Emma nodded and closed her eyes for a moment before admitting aloud, "I'm getting a little tired."

"You should get your ass to bed, that way you will get a few hours of sleep before classes start."

"I have to clean up first, and then I go."

"Nah I'll do it. Consider it a payment for eating half of them."

"Are you sure?" she asked feeling tempted to take him up on his offer and not certain if she should. She wasn't sure what was the correct social protocol about something like that.

"Dead certain, now piss off before I change my mind," he grumbled feeling happy to see her so relieved that he would take over for her. The Wolverine wasn't famous for taking on house chores but for Emma he would make an exception.

"You are an angel underneath the gruff exterior," she said warmly before kissing his bearded cheek and hugging him tightly.

"Good night Logan and thank you."

"Nite darlin", he said affectionately and waited for her to leave before looking around the kitchen. It dawned on him that no matter how cute the witch had looked covered in flour she had still made a fucking mess in the kitchen.

Looking down on himself he cursed even louder, when the witch hugged him she had covered him in flour as well. He was in a rush to clean before everyone in the mansion woke up and saw him playing house.

The infamous Wolverine did not bake cookies under the cover of night and if Scooter would see him, Logan's reputation as a terrifying animal would be destroyed.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N:** After a horrible and lengthy flu, I'm finally back!

The chapter was close to 40 pages but I really wanted to show my beta a little kindness so I shortened it a little so I could publish it sooner. Don't worry; the rest will come in the beginning of next chapter.

Thank you all for the alerts and favourites, they really brighten my day.

_Special thanks to: Foreign Nebula, Coldie, Lea_ (twice) _and soulsistersinaslan for the reviews._

If I were to name this chapter it would be called, _"The calm before the storm."_

As always memories are in_ italics.  
_

Thanks to my ever wonderful beta!

Let's go :)

* * *

Be my friend, hold me,

Wrap me up, unfold me

I am small, I'm needy

Warm me up and breathe me

Breathe me – Sia

* * *

"_I almost forgot," Stryker said looking over at Logan who was laying down in a large tank. He had army tags in one hand and lifted them up as in a silent question. _

"_I want new ones," Logan answered determinedly. _

"_What do you want them to say?" Stryker asked curiously, studying the mutant's face with interest. _

_Logan thought for a moment, his face set in stone before saying determinedly, "Wolverine."_

_A while later Logan was laying naked in a tank, his body connected to tubes while his face was covered in an oxygen mask. The tank was laying in a middle of a large science lab where there were a lot of people in white coats walking around, taking notes, whispering to each other and staring with unshed interest at the man in the tank. _

_Logan could hear a few whispers here and there and impossible seemed to be the most popular word among the scientists. He didn't care what they thought, he would do this. There was nothing to his knowledge that could kill him and vengeance fuelled his determination forward. He wanted to do this, no he needed to do it. With the help of the adamantium he would be indestructible and would finally be able to take his revenge on Victor. Kayla's death would finally be avenged and he could at long last be able to punish Victor for countless deaths of innocents, including his beloved Kayla. _

_They were at a secret army base at Alkali Lake; it was Stryker's base of operations. Every secret mission had been carefully planned first at the base that was hidden under the lake, far away from prying eyes. Even the US government knew little of the things happening there, they were on a need to know basis. Sometimes it was simply better for officials not to know what was going on as Stryker's methods were usually highly unorthodox to say the least. _

_On the second floor, over viewing the tank from a safe distance were many generals standing silently watching the hustle and bustle of the staff as they prepared, not for the first time, to inject someone with adamantium. It had been tried a few times on various mutants but every time it had failed as the strain on the body was simply too much. _

_Researches on Logan had come back positive, enough so that they found a glimmer of hope that this time it would really work out. If, by the vague possibility that it did, then Logan would become their super soldier. _

_Indestructible force, combined with animal instinct. _

_Logan would become a killing machine able to turn battles and destroy anything in his path without emotion. _

_He would become a priceless commodity for centuries to come, something that the generals were highly interested in. Logan was known as Weapon X amongst both scientists and soldiers. The reason was simple. X was the number ten in roman numerals, so far nine tries had gone wrong. The try on Logan would be the final experiment, each try cost too much for them to be able to hide the budget from the government. They were already on the edge with the president that didn't approve much of funding shadow operations that technically answered to no one. _

_Stryker walked towards the generals with a smug look on his face, he was absolutely certain that this time they would not fail. It could not happen; even the most sceptic scientist had assured him that there were good chances that they would succeed this time. _

"_Generals, welcome," Stryker said as warmly as he could muster. The generals looked at him sceptically, not trusting the fake tone of welcome and feeling the air of superiority behind his voice. There was no secret that the generals had tried their very best to get rid of Stryker but at no avail. He was the president's favourite, shielded by the trust the Commander in chief had in him. _

"_General Munson," Stryker added dryly to his biggest critic. The general didn't reply but peered his steel blue eyes at him in annoyance. _

_Stryker continued, "Today, you are going to witness medical history. Today, we are going to create weapon X."_

"_X?" General Munson asked in question, hoping to find any loophole to stump Stryker. _

_William Stryker looked at him, rolling his eyes in annoyance at the stupidity of the general, before saying very clearly as if speaking to a child, "Roman numeral, ten."_

"_We are about to begin bonding adamantium to weapon X's skeleton. Begin," he said to the scientists that had been waiting excitedly to begin the process. _

_Logan's body was hoisted mechanically into the water filled tank while scientists watched his vitals on monitors. It was of the upmost importance to keep track of tiniest bit of change in his core temperature, heartbeat and brain frequencies. _

_Finally as his body was totally submerged, the adamantium was prepared and pushed forward hot and ready to be inserted into Logan's body. Needles appeared from within the tank, they were glowing hot and ready to push deep into his flesh while his eyes stared at them, a slightly panicked look on his face. _

_A nod from Stryker was enough for the scientist in command of the operation as she pressed the button to start the operation. Quickly and without mercy, the needles jabbed themselves through Logan's skin, through his flesh and straight into his bones before injecting the scorching hot metal into his skeleton. _

_Logan's eyes opened in shock, seconds before he screamed in pain as the hot metal coursed through his body, making him feel as if he was being ripped apart. Images from his past flashed before his eyes as he continued to scream in agony. _

"_Body temperature 108 and rising," a scientist answered looking worriedly at the monitors in front of him. _

_General Munson walked towards Stryker to have a quiet word with him to express his concern. "Why is he thrashing like that? Why isn't he sedated?"_

"_He feels pain just like the rest of us. Anaesthesia won't work on him, that's why he had to volunteer," Stryker explained, his eyes totally focused on the mutant in the tank. _

"_Heart rate 190," another scientist added worriedly not liking how much strain the tortured mutant was under. She had no hope of him ever coming out alive, it simply wasn't possible. _

"_195."_

"_Will he survive this?" Munson asked darkly, not liking the sight before him. _

"_I don't know," Stryker answered in annoyance. _

"_200."_

_Logan's body thrashed even more violently in the tank, making some of the water splash along its edges. It was obvious that he was in great distress, his body only being held down by the weight of the adamantium. _

"_Heart rate way beyond maximum," the female scientist said, her voice filled with concern._

"_Blood pressure?" Stryker asked another scientist. _

"_260 over 180 and rising," was the man's quick response. _

"_He can make it, he can make it," Stryker said in a soothing tone assuring himself more than anyone else in the room. He had faith in Logan's regenerative power, now it was time for it to be known otherwise the mutant would be dead like so many before him. _

_Logan thrashed violently as the last remains of the adamantium pushed into his body. His heartbeat became even more erratic before suddenly his heart stopped, the heart monitor giving out a loud beep as the mutants body simply couldn't take anymore. _

_There was anxious silence in the room and Stryker stared with unease into the tank, his mind willing the mutant to wake up, to live. The monitors showed that the operation had been a success, Logan's skeleton was fully covered in adamantium. The problem was that his body was not responding. _

"_Well I guess he can die," Agent Zero said sarcastically. Not feeling an ounce of regret over the death of his old comrade in arms. He had never liked Logan and it showed in the tone of his voice. _

_Stryker and the other in the room stared in stunned silence at the monitors not understanding why the experiment hadn't worked in real as well as it should have in theory. _

_A minute or so later, a tiny beep from the heart monitor stunned everyone. Another one and Stryker stared in awe into the tank, not seeing much from the steam that came from the tank. Could it be that Logan had really survived such a thing? Could it be that his beaten body was forcing itself to start after all the abuse it had taken?_

"_Come on old friend, come back," Stryker whispered encouragingly as the heart monitor beeped irregularly a few times. _

"_Heart rate rising," the female scientist said stunned by what she was witnessing. _

"_Adamantium reservoir has been depleted," another scientist added excitedly. _

"_No rejection, procedure completed," one of the senior scientist added in disbelief. _

_Tears welled in Stryker's eyes, he had finally mastered a plan that had taken three years in the works. In a stunned voice he said, "We did it."_

_The older scientist agreed with him, "We did it."_

"_Yes," Stryker said merrily as if his favourite team had just won the Super Bowl. _

"_We're taking him to Dallas?" Agent Zero asked sceptically, clearly not happy with the results of the procedure. _

"_The island? No. Bonding worked, we use his DNA for XI. We erase his memory. Erase his memory," Stryker said ordering Agent Zero to do so. _

_At his words, Logan's eyes opened wide as if he was taking in the world for the first time and his body convulsed in pain as it broke free of its restraints. The onlookers looked in alarm as adamantium claws appeared out of his knuckles and they realized how quickly the situation could turn on them. _

"_I think that he heard you," Agent Zero said, his voice filled with worry. _

_Stryker looked in disbelief as Logan's body continued to trash in the tank, the mutants face scrunched up in a silent scream as his lungs released the last of the oxygen from his lungs. Finally his body jolted upwards, out of the water and out came a screaming, feral animal hell bent on killing anything in his path. _

_Agent Zero shot a bullet straight into Logan's forehead but it did nothing but piss the mutant off even further. Rage was rampant in his face, he was about to explode with anger. That much everyone could see. _

"_Lockdown!" Stryker yelled as Logan jumped easily out of the tank and ran towards the next exit. Guns were blazing everywhere, the shooters knew they needed to put Logan down before he would escape or kill everyone at the base. They had created a monster. _

_Logan ran on full animal instinct, not caring how and who he killed as he ran away from Stryker and his men. Finally he was out of the room, split second before an automatic door closed shut behind him. Only a few minutes later he was out of the base, having used his new adamantium claws to cut his way out through a wall in the base. _

_Logan stared in surprise at his claws before throwing himself off a cliff and into a waterfall. _

_He was safe._

* * *

When Logan's memory ended, the two friends sat quietly in their seats as if they were going through the events again in their mind. Emma saw how worn down Logan was over what he had found out, it was never easy to witness people in pain, but seeing yourself in pain and not remembering it had to feel so much worse.

Emma sighed wearily before rubbing her face as to force her body to wake up. It had been difficult for her as well to see Logan in so much pain, so unwavering about getting the adamantium and then witnessing the feral pain that appeared when he realized that Stryker had betrayed him.

It was on occasions like this that she wondered if it had been a good idea to help him with his memory. Of course she knew it was the best thing for him. He needed to face his demons just as she did but it didn't make it easier to watch her dear friend so in pain over a past he could not change.

Bright hazel eyes met her own; his gaze was intense as if he was looking into the farthest depths of her soul. Emma gave him a tiny smile, filled with melancholy, before walking quickly to the desk where the pensive waited, already filled with her own painful memories.

"I guess it would be safe to call this chapter of ours memories of war? Don't you think?" Emma asked Logan who absentmindedly nodded, his mind still on the memories he had witnessed in his own mind not so long ago.

"Here is the set up for you. I had left Hogwarts after I found out that Snape had killed my parents. I was devastated, absolutely heartbroken for so many reasons. I ran, took none of my possessions but my wand. It is the only thing that matters to me after all. I ran to the edge of Hogwarts grounds and disapparated away and finally managed to contact Hermione. Finally I joined her and Harry in finding all the horcruxes that Voldemort had split his soul into.

It was hard; we usually slept in turns knowing that someone might catch us at any given moment. With every horcrux that was destroyed the pursuit got stronger. Even though Voldemort didn't feel when they were being destroyed, his followers had become anxious to get rid of us. I had my own reasons for hiding as well; my parents' past made me a great bargaining chip against the Order of the Phoenix if I would ever be captured. Second, my association with the trio was well documented by my fellow Slytherins; I was a traitor to my own house.

One night we ended up at Ron's brother's house that he shared with his wife but surprisingly with Ron as well. We didn't know what to say as Ron had been gone for months hiding away from us. It was more than a little awkward but we needed him, not only was he a part of our group but he was Hermoine's love, we needed him. Without him things were not the same, we were not the same. We needed Hermione as sharp as possible and without Ron's love and support, she simply wasn't the same.

In the end he joined us not a moment too late. The battle was upon us. Voldemort had attacked Hogwarts. "

They dove into the memory.

* * *

_There were screaming children scattered all around the castle grounds. Minerva McGonagall was trying to get the older students to take care of the younger ones and get them out of harm's way. The problem was that there were not many places to hide from the Death eaters, not when so many of them had attended Hogwarts themselves in their younger days. The sounds were horrifying, screams of terror, blasts of magic everywhere and confusion on both sides._

_The four friends were desperately trying to help the younger children while meanwhile defending the castle, but the attackers were many and most of them adults while the ones defending Hogwarts were mostly young children or in their early teens. _

_The battle was painfully unfair._

_Logan stared in horror as the darker side seemed to have no qualms about killing innocent children that had nothing against seasoned warriors of Voldemort. Madness was protruding in the air making him feel sick to his stomach. How many living nightmares had Emma gone through in her short life? _

"_Emma, can't you just stun them? Do you have to use the killing curse every time?" a woman with bubble gum pink hair said as she stood next to the younger witch who didn't have time to answer right away. The Order of the Phoenix stood as a barrier trying to stop the Death Eaters from breaching the castle. It looked like an impossible task; the Death Eaters were swarming the grounds, the stream of them seemingly endless. _

"_They are not showing mere children that courtesy," Emma snarled viciously with more ferocity than Logan had ever seen from her before, "It's either them or us Tonks. I'd prefer it to be them."_

_The younger Emma looked ruthless and more feral than any woman he had seen before. Her body was in a battle stance and a vicious snarl was on her lips as she took down one Death Eater after the other, not noticing her own injuries. A large gash was on her temple and fresh blood streamed down her face and neck but she seemed oblivious to it, too busy trying to do everything at once. _

_Over and over again she cast the killing curse, extinguishing every life the green light would touch. Emma couldn't stop for a moment, if she would take a break she might not find the energy to stand up again. Her whole body trembled violently as her magical reserve became closer to depletion, using so much magic did take a toll on someone so young that had never experienced a battle similar to the one against Voldemort's followers. _

_Emma's face looked vacant as if her essence, the spark that made her so otherworldly, had somehow left her. Logan knew that feeling very well. She had gone berserk, her body registering nothing but her own survival, a killing spree. Emma would do anything to survive; she had allowed her most inner self to take over, to make sure she had some chance of surviving what looked like a lost battle. _

_Her friends that stood close by, all had the same looks of those that had experienced too much in too short lives. _

_The scene seemed to drag on forever as the night dragged on and finally Logan saw that Emma was beyond exhausted as she staggered to stand upright. More injuries had been added to her tired body, her lip had split open when she had been hurled into a wall and she limped badly as if she had serious problems in using her leg._

_A ghostly shape of a badger came running towards her and circled her urgently as the frantic voice of Hermione Granger came from the animal, "We have to go to the Shrieking shack. Meet us by the gate."_

_Emma cast a spell and seemed to disappear from the sight of the attackers. She ran stumbling towards the gate. Emma tripped often on the way cursing low every time. By the gate the three were waiting for her under Harry's invisibility cloak._

"_Let's go!" Harry screamed and they fought their way towards the end of the property and onwards to the Shrieking shack. _

_Emma's memory flickered quickly, like a film on fast forward, and before Logan knew what was going on, he was standing in a small timber house. From the distance he could see Hogwarts, Emma's old school and the light from thousands of wands that were sending curses in every direction._

_On the ground, in a far corner, Emma's sourly husband was laying in a heap, looking as if he was mere moments from expiring. _

_The group of friends rushed up the stairs and into the room, Harry being the first one. His sharp, green eyes looked quickly around to assure himself and the others that the place was empty besides Snape. _

_Harry Potter kneeled by Snape, the boys face filled with concern as he listened to the wizard taking slow, wheezy breaths that did nothing to help his body. A blue wisp came from his mouth into a vial that Hermione had hurried pushed into Harry's hands. Emma stood back staring blankly at what was going on, the expression on her face was hidden by the large dark hood that covered most of her face. _

_Explosions were heard in the distance, the Death Eaters had breached the walls of the castle. _

"_We have to go!" the boy who lived said suddenly and jumped towards the door. They had no time to spare, they had to get back. _

"_I will be right there," Emma said quietly staring at Hermione with a pleading gaze, hoping her friend would understand why she had to stay. The red haired boy was about to protest but a dark look from Emma shut him up and he nodded in agreement before turning around to run from the Shack with his two friends right behind him._

"_Severus can you hear me?" Emma murmured as she crouched down beside him and winching as the pain in her leg burned through her body. _

_Snape had a large serpent bite mark on his neck and she touched his neck for a pulse that flickered weakly for a few moments before finally disappearing. He was fading. Emma prepared to use muggle CPR, something that Hermione Granger had insisted both Emma and Harry had learned when they were on the run. Magic, even though it was wonderful, could not give answers for everything. Sometimes the only solution was to be found elsewhere. _

"_One, two, three," she whispered as she pumped Snape's chest with her hands before moving slightly, opening his airway and blowing a lungful of air into his mangled body. After a few tries his body started to convulse violently, showing that he was indeed back to the land of the living but in a very bad shape._

_The young witch looked sharply at her estranged husband for a split second before reaching into the pockets of her cape, fumbling about for a while and pulling out a small vial. She opened the vial, poured a part of the liquid onto the wound on Snape's neck and the rest into his mouth. Then she waited, and waited. Little by little his colouring came back, his breathing became less laboured and his colouring changed for the better._

_When Snape opened his eyes she smiled with relief. So many lives had been taken over the course of the day; it was incredible to be able to give life instead of taking it away. Snape looked up at Emma with a confused look on his face as he stared at what was probably the first genuine smile that Snape had ever gotten from his wife. _

"_Hello husband," she said quietly before grabbing his hand in hers and apparating away to St. Mungo's so Snape could get the help he so desperately needed._

* * *

The vision darkened and a few moments later the two friends were back at the cabin, staring at each other deep in thought. Logan felt a deep surge of jealousy surge through him, he had hated seeing Emma touching that snake of a man. It took him a few moments to suffocate the jealousy, then he finally walked over to her, touched her cheek with a callused hand before saying in a deep voice.

"I wish you hadn't had to live through the things you have. I wish you had lived a sheltered life, wrapped in cotton by those that loved you and never met any darkness in your life. How you managed to stay sane through many of these things, I will never understand but I admire you, your courage to fight for those that were younger and to fight for what you believed in. No one can take that away from you darlin'."

His strong arms wrapped around her in a firm embrace, making her feel as if finally she had found the home she had looked for so long. The two friends stood like that for a long time, comforting each other without words, simply being there for each other and knowing that sometimes words can't completely explain how you feel about someone.

* * *

After a very emotional legimens session Emma decided to lift things up a bit by surprising Logan with a gift. She opened her backpack and dragged out a huge bottle with a label that said Fire whiskey.

"Happy birthday!" she laughed merrily and gave the bottle to Logan.

"It ain't my birthday darlin'," he said smiling at her eagerness. One moment she looked so battle worn and jaded, the next she looked so young with her twinkling eyes and the big smile that so often grazed her face in his presence.

"I know! Well it could be! We just don't know yet! So until then, today will your birthday and THIS is your present," she said proudly pointing towards the bottle in his hands.

"Whiskey?" he asked not too impressed. Sure whiskey was nice; he drank it every night if he could. Logan had no idea why the witch was making such a fuss over something as mundane as whiskey.

"Not just any whiskey but Fire whiskey. You will love it. I know you have a problem getting a buzz but this one will work for sure," she smiled remembering many drunken nights at Hogwarts and the countless detentions she had gotten when Snape had caught her out of the dormitory late at night. It had all been worth it though; everything she had done with the trio had been worth it.

He took the bottle and looked interested at the label. It was a moving picture of a wizard pouring a drink, moments after the liquid hit the glass, a flame rose from the glass burning the wizards beard off.

"It does that?" he asked curiously pointing at the picture of a now screaming wizard. Then the picture looped and started again with the wizard pouring the drink.

"Oh yes," she replied enthusiastically, a childlike eagerness in her manner.

"It's called dragon flame. Wizards know when they have had enough when they are not quick enough to get away before the flame rises."

"And what? They are set on fire?" Logan asked sceptically not sure he should believe such a thing. That whole magic business was sometimes a little too fantastical for him to wrap his mind around.

"Something like that, you might find out," Emma said smirking at him not telling him that the flame only appeared when using special Fire whiskey glasses that were only used in the pubs at Hogsmeade and other fine wizard pubs around Scotland. The bar owners used them to be able to know when customers had had enough of the fine whiskey. When the flame started to get too close to the customer, it was time to put the cork back in the bottle and send said wizard on his merry way.

"That reminds me, I made this as well," she said handing him a small bottle with a brown liquid inside. Logan looked far less interested in the small bottle that Emma was trying to get him to investigate.

"Vomit, how considerate," Logan said sarcastically as the liquid looked very unappealing.

Emma laughed, "No it's a Pepper up potion. In case you want to sober up instantly or in case you have a bad hangover."

"Darlin' I have never needed anything like that, I think you're overestimating the stuff a bit," he said certain. He couldn't remember how long it was since he got drunk and didn't even know if it was physically possible. His regenerative power was too strong to allow him to get tipsy, let alone drunk.

Emma was not so sure after seeing Hagrid the half giant drunk as a skunk after drinking a few glasses of the finest whiskey the wizarding world had to offer.

"Well if you need it I will put it here on the top shelf," She said before reaching for two glasses.

"You want to do the honours birthday boy?" she said grinning to Logan who took her instantly up on her offer filling both the glasses to the brim.

"To Fire whiskey." He grumbled lifting his glass in a salute to the witch that sat on the other side of the kitchen table studying with glinting eyes, like the cat that caught the canary.

"Hear hear," Emma said lifting her glass and drowning the shot in one sip.

* * *

A couple of hours later Logan was drunk and Emma was quite well tipsy. She was close to the limit and drunken enough of Fire whiskey to not be certain if she would remember a thing of what happened in the morning.

"You know I'm happy that I met you darlin, you have helped me so much," Logan drawled in a drunken voice making Emma snicker with absurdity of the situation. She had never seen him drunk and he was royally pissed from the wizard drink. Not a surprise in itself, the only one who looked totally surprised was Logan himself.

"Don't laugh at me," Logan said grinning the wolfish grin, he had so often given her in the past. Somehow it seemed less intimidating when he was so intoxicated or perhaps it simply felt that way because of her inebriated state.

"Are you feeling alright Logan? The Fire whiskey isn't too strong for you?" she asked as the big man tried to stand up only to be slumped by the wall again. Thankfully she had been clever enough to ask him to move to the bed when she saw he was getting tipsy.

"Too strong? For me? Pfff darlin' I have drunken stronger stuff than this piss," he drawled unconvincingly making Emma chuckle.

"Give me my glass," he ordered her and she was happy to oblige. All was better than him running around the cabin in his state and breaking the few objects that were in the small house. His large, unsteady frame had already broken one of the four kitchen chairs.

"Are you sure you should be drinking any more of it?" Emma asked suspiciously as she knelt by the cot to give him his glass. Emma had stopped drinking, she was already tipsy and didn't want to get too drunk, plus Logan seemed adamant on finishing the bottle.

"Maybe it's time to use the potion I made for you?" she asked and at that a strong callous finger was roughly placed on her lips to shut her up.

"Look darlin; stop trying to sober me up. This is the first time I have managed to get really drunk and stay there for more than a few seconds."

"Fine Logan, just don't nag me in the morning when you will get one hell of a headache," she said in defeat as he grabbed the glass from her hand.

As to prove her somehow wrong Logan drank the remains of his glass in a few sips, before turning his gaze towards Emma, who was sitting by the kitchen table watching him closely. She had decided to sober up, one of them needed to have their heads more or less in one piece.

"You don't have to sit so far away darlin c'mere," Logan said in a seductive tone patting on the cot next to him.

"I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee and then I will come to you," Emma said standing up to make herself a cup to try to clear her mind. It had been so long since she had drunken Fire whiskey and she wasn't sure that the drink agreed with her body anymore.

"Alright hurry up then," he huffed like a little child for a second before deciding better of it.

As she put the coffee on she could hear loud sound coming from where Logan was. He had stood up from the cot, fallen and managed to break two of the floorboards with his massive frame. As she ran to him she saw him struggling to get up.

"Are you hurt?" she asked looking for any sign of injuries from him and couldn't find any.

"Nah I'm good. Might need your help to get up though," he snickered very uncharacteristically for Logan and Emma joined in the laughter at the hilarity of the situation.

She bent down and try as she might there was no way she could ever lift him by hand. He was just too heavy, especially now that his state rendered him too intoxicated to be of any use.

The coffee was ready and she ran to the stove to turn it off. Then she took her wand from her sleeve and did the old simple spell, "Wingardium leviosa," while pointing her wand at Logan.

The look on his face was priceless when he felt his body be lifted by an unseen force and moved to the little bed.

"Whoa, you know I hate to fly," he protested, his face turning a shade of green after moving the short distance from the floor to the cot.

Emma picked up the bottle and noticed that not much was left of the whiskey. One third was left, "I guess you were looking for this?" she asked him as he grabbed the bottle as if he were a child looking for his pacifier.

"Yes darling I was, thank you," he cooed happily getting his price and drinking from the bottle.

Emma sat tiredly drinking her coffee and studying him while he struggled to finish the bottle. She had been up since very early that morning and those few glasses she had gotten were getting to her head. The only thing she wanted was to go to bed and sleep for days.

The witch noticed that Logan was studying her intently from the little cot.

"What?" she asked suspiciously wondering if she had something on her face.

"I think you have no idea how beautiful you are," he said all of a sudden almost making her choke on the remains of her coffee.

"I have an idea that I'm perfectly normal, like most people are as a rule," she answered not feeling comfortable at all to be discussing her looks. Emma had never felt comfortable discussing herself, let alone her appearance.

"Like I said you have no idea," he said like someone who had just won a lengthy argument.

"How many men have told you that you're pretty? Quite a few I would think." he said looking at her as if he were a shrink and she his patient.

"Some," she admitted reluctantly, "but I think they only said it to try to get in my pants."

"I don't know about them but it's no easy mission to try that," He said and his reward was a bark of laughter from the witch, she didn't know what his point was with this speech but she was intrigued.

"You know, you are a triple threat?" He said smugly, as someone who knows answers but won't easily share it with anyone else.

"Oh a triple threat now? How so?" she asked sarcastically but admitting to herself that she was far more interested in his speech than she should be. Perhaps it was that she would trust whatever came out of Logan's mouth, no matter how drunk he was.

"You are beautiful in a drop your jaw to the floor kinda way. You're smart, even too smart sometimes. Then you're kind, I have seen how good you are to Jones when no one is looking. Plus you are a witch."

"Those were four," Emma said feeling her cheeks blush but she was still smiling from ear to ear.

"Why do you feel so embarrassed?" he asked surprised trying to focus on her. Logan had never met any woman like Emma, one that did not like at all to be complimented. If anything she looked highly uncomfortable, her face taking on a shade of a ripe tomato.

"No one I cared about has ever called me beautiful before, it makes me self-conscious," she said honestly to her friend.

"They just didn't say it coz they thought you must know already," He said as if that was a given and she should have figured that one out a long time.

"Well I don't ... didn't" she said ill-at-ease and not understanding where this conversation was headed.

A soft expression came over Logan's face as he studied the witch become so awkward by his flattery, "I always thought that Kayla was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen but you are far more striking."

Emma's eyes widened at that, to compare her to his ex had weight, a very serious weight to it. He continued, "You move with graze, your lips beg to be kissed and your body begs to be ..."

"All right, slow down there cowboy," she said flustered, her voice high pitched and raw with emotion. If Logan wanted their friendship to head down that path, it was more than welcome. However she didn't want to discuss it when he was drunk. They would both need a clear head if that conversation ever came up.

"I get it," she said her eyes lighting up with the sudden knowledge that her gruff friend wouldn't remember that speech in the morning. Blackout started to come after the third glass and he had drunken almost the whole bottle.

"You know I saw you as a kid until the New Year's party when you wore that green dress. I realized then that you were so much more than a kid."

"So that's why you upgraded me from kid to darling? It was all because of a dress?" She asked a little miffed.

"It was not because of the dress! What the hell do I know of dresses!" he exclaimed sounding disgusted at her statement.

"No it was because when I saw you in it I realized that you were no kid like I had fooled myself into thinking. You were a full grown woman underneath that dress and I could see ever curve of your body," the wolfish grin was back even though it was a bit lopsided coz of his state.

She decided to change the conversation into more of a friend zone kind of talking, before they would both say things they would regret.

"I'm happy we met Logan. You are my dearest friend, I think I have never let anyone so close to my heart," she said looking at him affectionately feeling that the Fire whiskey had indeed affected her as well, at least her mouth. That was for certain.

"Don't look at me like that" he said his voice raspy and emotional before he drank the rest of the bottle in one gulp.

"Like what?" she asked puzzled, how had she been looking at him?

"Like I'm the only man in the world," he answered with a raspy voice, his eyes shining with emotion.

"But I do care for you, silly oaf," she said smiling with laughter bubbling inside of her. Yeah she was not unaffected by the touch of the Fire whiskey but not as far gone as her friend who had problem sitting straight on the bed.

"I know and I like it. Someone should warn you about me that I will end up hurting you like anyone else that comes too close to me," Logan said wretchedly. It always ended like that, they got killed, he left or he did something unforgivable to make people stop wanting to be near him. He didn't want that with Emma.

"Let's just make a deal, I will give no more of myself than what you give of yourself to me. Does that sound fair?"

"It does," he said before yawning.

"All this talking is making me tired." he said truly sounding exhausted.

"You want to try to sleep?" she asked hopeful, she was dead on her feet herself and would very much like to head off to bed.

"Yeah, I have to undress," he said and she averted her eyes as he started to loosen his belt. A few moments later he was on the cot, a duvet more or less cowering him.

"I won't go sleep unless you're here with me," he said smiling that playful smirk of his.

"I don't think that's a good idea Logan," she said sternly trying to make him understand that they were both drunk and not quite responsible. She would just walk back to Xavier's; it was perfectly safe to do so.

"No matter how drunk I would be I would never do anything you didn't want, never!" he snarled at her, looking both hurt and angry. For the first time that evening Emma saw his temper flare as he slammed his fist into the wall beside the cot.

"I know you wouldn't," Emma said soothingly trying to make peace. She hadn't meant it like that, Emma knew beyond doubt that Logan would never make her do anything she didn't want to.

"Then come here, I want to feel that cinnamon scent in my nose," he said smiling indicating that the earlier drama was over and they were good again. Both had huge tempers, but were equally quick to forgive and forget.

The witch gave up and walked to the cot. She was wearing jeans and a tank top; there was no way she would undress as she didn't have her pyjamas. Not after the 'I noticed that you are a woman' speech from Logan.

He moved towards the wall giving her enough space to lie on her side. Emma laid down, her back turned to him. What she didn't expect was that his large heavy arm would creep around her waist and pull her closer to his naked chest. He spooned her making it more intimate by pulling the duvet over both their bodies.

"That isn't so bad is it" he whispered in her ear as she tried to steady her heartbeat. Having him half naked and so close was making her body respond in ways she didn't know it could.

As his pull on her got stronger, she felt his head move and his face bury itself in her hair.

"You smell wonderfully, that cinnamon smell drives me crazy" he growled in her ear as his hand started to touch her stomach under the shirt in lazy circles that were fuelling her hormones in response to his musings.

"You want me too, don't try to deny it," he whispered, watching her neck, almost hypnotized by her fast pulse that was beating like wings of a frightened bird.

As his fingers started to trail the large scars on her back, made by his claws, she tried forcefully to push his hand away. He grabbed her tightly and pulled her closer into his embrace while the duvet flew out of the bed forgotten.

"There aint nuttin wrong with having scars! Hell I gave you these myself," he growled at her, angry that she was being so self-conscious about her fresh scars. It drove him crazy to know that she somehow felt less about herself because of him. The witch felt less, while he felt an animalistic glee that she was marked by him, that she was his.

"Logan please," she said struggling to get away from him, unable to explain the electric jolt that had gone through her body when his fingers had touched the sensitive scars..

"Don't Em! Scars only say you have a story to tell!," he growled deeper desperately trying to make her understand before she would run from him and hide.

"Trust me Emma, I won't hurt you. You hear me? I won't hurt you!" his words came into her mind and she stopped struggling. What was she doing? Why was she trying to run? If there was anyone she trusted it was Logan. He had never broken her trust so far.

"Alright darlin', I want to see the scars that you struggle so hard to hide from me."

"No Logan! I don't want anyone to see!" she said trying to push his large hand away from her stomach.

She felt her top be pulled up, leaving her only in a bra. Her back was exposed to him for the first time, showing the extent of the damage he had caused months earlier. His breathing hitched in his thought at the extent of the damage, he hadn't realized how deep and ugly the scars had become.

"Do you trust me?" Logan growled, his face only a breath away from hers. She swallowed nervously but finally nodded trying to fight the tears that had appeared in her eyes. He moved his head towards her shoulder looking at the angry red scars that were so fresh from the attack.

"You are beautiful darlin', you have nothing to be ashamed for," he said his breath hot on her skin. She felt a light touch on a scar, the sensitive skin making the touch even more sensual. Emma tried to look back to see what he was doing, the touch fanning the flame within. To her surprise, she could feel a rough tongue tracing each and every scar, slowly and deliberately. The witch shivered violently under his musings as his strong embrace never engulfed her while his tongue marked her as his own, making her feel completely naked.

Her arousal hit Logan like a ton of bricks.

The tantalizing scent of her need only served to fuel his own need further as her continued to lap the scars, hearing her moan deeply as her eyes glazed over with desire as her breathing became ragged. Emma was letting go like she never had before and it was the biggest turn-on Logan had exprienced.

Logan's head snapped up and he almost growled into her ear when he felt her hand reach backwards to stroke up his thigh. He was too drunk to be doing this, even he knew that. He eased his grip a little and laid his head on her hair, burying his face deep in her mane.

He sighed deeply and started to breathe deeply and regularly. Emma turned a bit and saw that Logan was fast asleep, passed out after all the Fire whiskey.

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips; that had not been the best time for him to doze off!

* * *

The next morning when Logan woke up he had a nasty hangover. The first hangover ever, now he understood what all the moaning and bitching of his fellow staff was about.

He grumbled darkly, trying to sit up.

"Ah the local drunk is up'," Emma said merrily coming into the cabin with a mug of coffee in her hand. She had gotten no sleep that night, sexual frustration and confusion had swriled in her mind, making it impossible for her to rest.

He mumbled something hardly audible, she didn't want to hear it as she guessed correctly that it was nothing good about her.

"Still think that Fire whiskey is just piss?"She said laughing at his pale face. She had never seen him look as crappy as he did then. Usually his regenerative power was enough to take care of whatever would be bothering him. It seemed though that wizards had found a way to get through any kind of mutation. After all, a drink that was strong enough to knock down Hagrid the half giant, should have been enough to take down most other people, even the strong Wolverine.

She took the Pepper up potion from the shelf, took the cork out and handed the vial to a very suspicious looking Logan.

"What the hell is this shit?" he growled at the smell of putrid cow dung that was coming from the small vial. The smell alone made him want to gag; there was no way he was drinking that.

"It will kill the hangover," she said and under her breath she muttered, "and hopefully fix your rotten mood."

Of course Logan heard her but ignored her comment and drank the contents of the vial in one sip making an expression of complete disgust.

"Come on don't be such a baby Logan, you will be good as new in a few moments. I will cook you a hamburger meanwhile," Emma said peacefully, trying to ease his foul temper.

He went and took a shower while Emma prepared lunch for them. After the shower he realized that he felt great, his usual self. Just as how he felt every morning, the effects of the Fire whiskey were gone from his system.

"Hey darlin'," he drawled as he came out of the toilet.

"Feel better?" she chirped merrily, having just placed two rare burgers on his plate.

"Yeah I do, that smelly shit worked," Logan said surprised as he sat down.

"Yeah I know, I drank it quite often after rough nights as a student," she said smiling at him.

"You drank that whiskey as a student?" he asked surprised. Something that could knock him down couldn't be good for a little girl.

"We are of age when we are eighteen. I spent my wedding night drinking a whole bottle of it with Ron's twin brothers."

"Sounds like fun," he chuckled remembering her stories of Fred and George. They had raised havoc on Hogwarts, a certain double trouble.

"Well yeah, it always was fun with those two," she said smiling, eating her burger slowly while Logan almost inhaled his.

"I don't remember much about last night, I think I had a blackout of some sorts," Logan said a while later, his voice sheepish and showing just how embarrassed he was to admit that.

"You shouldn't remember anything. Anyone that drinks more than three glasses will drink themselves into oblivion," she admitted feeling a blush burn up her neck. He didn't remember. Why did that hurt?

"You knew that and let me drink on?" he asked mirth in his voice at seeing her blush so brightly.

"Em, please. I want the bottle, please! This is just piss," she drawled intimidating a very drunk Logan.

His expression was priceless as he watched the witch poke fun at him. He looked shocked, as if he couldn't believe that he had behaved like that.

"What did I do?" he asked wondering what the hell he had been up to. It was the first time in his long life that he had gotten drunk, he had no idea what to expect. He could have climbed the walls for all he knew.

"Then you forced me to sleep with you," she said feigning drama but quickly sobered at his angry expression.

"What!" he hissed heatedly. He had wanted her for a long time, but not like that. Not forced. Never forced.

"Relax. You wouldn't go to sleep unless holding me. Something about cinnamon," she explained blushing as she waived her hand like it was an every day event that the Wolverine wanted to snuggle. That it was every day that he licked her scars or purred seductively into her ear.

"Look darling if I said or did something I shouldn't have I want to apologise right now," he said grave. The last thing he would ever want was to do something to scare her off, she was too important to him. There had been this nagging feeling at the back of his mind ever since he woke up that something had happened between them, but for the life of him he couldn't remember and the witch was obviously not going to tell him.

But there was something, the way she averted her eyes and the blush on her face made him very suspicious. She was hiding something from him, something that made her too shy to really look him in the eye.

"How gentlemanly," she said smiling thankfully at his words. She would not tell him what happened, perhaps at some point but not now. There were high chances of Logan running like the wind if she would mention the fevered touches the night before. The main reason she didn't mention it, was that she didn't know herself how she felt about the whole situation. Logan was a friend but it seemed they shared a strong physical attraction for each other and Emma wasn't sure she wanted to go down that road. Even worse, she wasn't sure that he wanted to go down that road and she couldn't bear it if he would run from her.

Logan's hazel eyes begged her for answers, begged her to say that he had been nothing but civil.

The witch looked at him serenely, "you did nothing bad last night, I was not offended in any way and I actually had a good time."

Emma flashed him a grin and saw a wave of relief wash over him. She hadn't lied to him, just worded things so he wouldn't smell that there was more to say. Something so profound that would change the dynamic of the friendship.

"You wanna come for a ride? I need to pick up a few things on the way back to the mansion. If you want I can even buy you a milkshake," Logan added knowing that the witch never refused anything sweet, especially if it was made of chocolate.

"Sure, I have nothing planned until tonight when I will have to grade some papers."

"Come on then, let's go" he said smiling, feeling relieved that he had nothing ungentlemanly to hurt the delicate creature that trusted him with her life.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N:** Thank you for all the follows, favourites and reviews this week.

Special thanks to **CrystallizedSiren**, **Logan's Princess**, **Lea**, **HeyHeyItsRae** and **soulsistersinaslan** for their reviews!

Another stepping stone for me. I just reached 100 followers for this story! *does a little dance*

Thank you all for your ongoing interest in the story, it means more to me than I can say.

Thanks to my ever patient beta that spends too much free time with Emma and Logan.

* * *

And all of the ghouls come out to play …

And every demon wants his pound of flesh…

It's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out – Florence and the machine

* * *

It had been a difficult school day at Xavier's. The students had been anxious to finish the school day, so they hadn't listened to anything that the teachers had told them. The weather had been good for days and the students were desperate to make the most of it. It was close to exams and everyone could feel the pressure building within teachers and students. At lunch everyone had been jumpy and Logan had left the table half way through the meal after watching Rogue and Iceman having a make out session right there at the table without anyone reprimanding them.

Ororo had asked Emma to come out for drinks and she jumped at the opportunity. There had been restlessness growing in her for the entire week, a feeling of suffocation at being stuck at Xavier's. Intellectually she knew she wasn't stuck but Xavier had asked them all not to go anywhere alone as society was too tremulous for him to guarantee their safety. The only one who didn't listen to Xavier's plea of moving in groups was Logan as he didn't give a damn and not many would be foolish enough to attack him and live to see a new day.

There had been ideas in Emma's head of just disappearing, of heading to New York and taking the first flight out of there. She didn't really manage to pinpoint it; perhaps it was the fact that Logan had been cranky for a while, ever since their drunken bash at the cottage. They had their meetings but Logan seemed somehow far away and had not been as warm as he usually was. That's why it was nice surprise when Ororo had asked her to go out for a girl's night out. An evening that would be filled with chats and drinks.

Emma saw Logan hurrying out to the garage and this time she went after him as she wanted to attempt to get through the walls he had surrounded himself with, "hey Logan, you heading off?"

"Yep," he answered sullenly and his voice had an unusual tone to it, the same impatience it often held when their students were misbehaving and when he so wanted to be somewhere else. Emma raised her eyebrows in question but the only response from her friend was a hard look before he chewed grumpily on his cigar.

"Well, have fun and I see you tomorrow then," she said coldly, trying to not get angry with the way he brushed her off. Logan had never treated her so uncaringly; however Scott had said this was Logan's usual mood to everyone else around the mansion. Emma had simply never noticed it before.

Logan watched her retreating form and knew for a fact that he was in the doghouse. She was annoyed at him, that much he could see in her posture, her back straight and her walk brisk.

He sighed deeply and finally said, "If you have no plans you can come with me for a few drinks."

Emma turned around and studied him for a second before replying, "I actually do have plans so I won't be able to, not this time. This old spinster is finally getting out of the house."

"Watcha doing? Big date?" Logan asked with an uncanny interest, the golden glint in his eyes becoming more evident with each passing moment. He felt the animal within roar in anger at her words, how dare she go out with another when he was right there in front of her, when she owned his heart without even realizing it herself.

"Oh yes I have my first proper American date, Ororo asked me to have some drinks with her," Emma replied sarcastically to his question.

"So what have you been doing with me? Thought we had a date every Friday?" Logan inquired, the golden glint shining brighter than ever before. The tone of his voice suggested that it didn't matter how she'd reply, he would never be happy with her answer.

"Yes, but you're Canadian," she bit back and feeling quite pleased with her response. His words had quite obviously been a trap. That much she could understand after living in close proximity to so many Slytherins.

That joy was short-lived when Logan quickly started his bike and said angrily, "have fun, see you tomorrow."

"You too," she replied but he was already gone and not even his acute hearing would hear her reply over the roaring engine.

Logan sped away as if all the hounds of hell were on his tail and he felt angry at himself, at Emma and the whole situation. His feelings for Emma were driving him crazy and he was certain that something had happened between them the night he had gotten drunk on the firewhiskey. Emma being as secretive as she was had obviously decided that she wouldn't tell him and it annoyed him.

Was her silence because she didn't want him or was it because he had done something to hurt her? He was quite certain he hadn't hurt her in any way, Emma was a witch after all and with her formidable temperament she would never have allowed him to treat her badly in any way.

He took a deep breath to try to calm down the anger that was pouring to the surface. Nothing changed, he growled low to himself in frustration. For the first time in almost a year he would go cage fighting, he needed to blow off steam before the Wolverine would break through and raise havoc in his life.

* * *

"Scotch on the rocks," Emma growled rudely to the bartender at the Drunken Ship, late that evening.

Why on earth had she told Ororo and Hank that she was fine with them leaving? Because she had been gob smacked when she had seen Hank coming into the pub an hour after she and Ororo got there. The goddess of weather had turned all kind of interesting shades of red when she saw Hank coming to the table and swore to Emma that she had had no idea that he was coming.

"I'm sorry I ruined things Emma, I found this lovely vacation spot and I wanted to whisk Ororo away over the weekend. I packed her bag and everything," Hank said with an enthusiastic grin of a man in love. In fact he was so in his own bubble of happiness that he didn't notice the angry blush on Emma's neck or the way she ground her teeth in annoyance at his words.

"You won't be too upset if I steal her away? She's been under so much pressure lately that I wanted to do something nice for her," Hank said with his smoothest tone as he tried to work his magic on Emma, who didn't seem too impressed with his performance as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Who am I to stand in the way of true love?" she growled, doing very little to hide her irritation. It was not that she was so annoyed at Hank for doing something nice and thoughtful for Ororo. Emma was annoyed because she wanted someone who loved her as much as Hank and Ororo loved each other.

"Go before I change my mind and make her stay with me until the pub closes."

Hank didn't have to be told twice, he disappeared after Ororo into the ladies room and moments later he walked out with a giggling Ororo in his arms. Emma felt the annoyance heighten as red hot jealousy burnt though her. It was not that she didn't want all the best for Ororo, she just wondered when something like that would happen to her.

Probably never.

When Ororo turned in Hanks arms to give Emma an enthusiastic wave Emma returned it while murmuring to herself half-heartedly, "you lucky cow."

* * *

So there she was alone, not at all desperate (perhaps a smidgeon, nothing too bad), battling with the wanderlust within and hoping that something would wake her from the restlessness that had been bothering her over the last weeks.

She checked a curled up phone number in her pocket, it was Logan's. He had given her his mobile number in case of emergencies. This was not under any circumstances an emergency but she was tempted to call anyway.

Self-doubt stopped her.

One hour later, it felt as if the number was starting to burn hot red in her pocket. She finally relented and decided to call him to see if he was anywhere in the proximity.

Emma went to the payphone next to the bar after fishing out some change. The phone rang once before being sent straight to voicemail.

She didn't reach him. No wonder, she was certain he was being entertained by one of his lady friends. The thought of that made her so furious that she slammed the phone down, much harder than she had intended and getting an angry look from the bartender in return.

Finally she decided to call once more and leave a message on his voicemail. Perhaps he would hear it and come to have one drink with her before closing time.

The phone rang once before going back to voice mail. Emma hesitantly spoke, "Logan? Its Emma, you said I should call in emergencies... This is clearly not one... Erhm... Hank whisked Ororo away after one hour, something about a romantic getaway... Anyway I'm here at... I have no idea what it's called... Oi... Oi what's this pub called?.."

As soon as she called to the bartender the line went dead.

"Never mind, he's busy with one of his strumpets," she growled annoyed before she ordered another whiskey. Her confused feelings for Logan were driving her up the wall. He was her closest friend, a partner in crime and the person she trusted with her life. A part of her wasn't happy with that, it was greedy and wanted more. Logan made her want to go the distance, to be an even better version of herself, to settle down and all that jazz.

It scared her more than anything had ever done in her life. Facing Dementors was nothing compared to facing the feelings brewing within her own heart.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Emma returned to the mansion in a very foul mood. She wasn't drunk, not even tipsy. She just felt like running away. A large part of her wanted away from the friends that were pulling at her heartstrings, away from the children she cared more for with every passing day and away from Logan that had weaselled himself so deep into her heart.

The thought of heading off became too tempting. Emma went to her room and started to pack her things. Where she would go she didn't know, she just needed to get away from everything.

* * *

Logan opened her door slowly and watched Emma hurriedly put things into her bag. His instinct had been spot on, the kid was leaving and he was pissed. He was furious at himself for being a pansy and being incapable of facing his own feelings for the woman in front of him and furious at Emma for making him love her.

He hadn't realized in all honesty just how much he really cared, until he watched her pack her things. Blazing pain coursed through him nearly making him feel paralyzed, Logan struggled to stand upright as his knees almost gave in.

"What the hell are you doing?" he growled dangerously, before slamming the door loudly behind him, not caring if he woke someone up.

Emma turned around like a rattle snake and he could have sworn she hissed at him.

"What got up your ass and died?" Logan snarled as he walked closer to her before grabbing her bag and throwing it forcefully into the next corner. There was no way she was leaving the mansion, over his dead body.

The witch narrowed her eyes at him, a snarl on her face as she hissed out roughly, "what's your problem?"

For good measure, she poked his chest roughly after every word, for emphasis.

"You are my problem, drunk calling me making me sick with worries that you had been attacked, raped or beaten up. Then I come home and you're leaving. Anything you wanna say?"

She ignored him, so afraid she would say something she would regret while battling with her tears.

Why she was crying she didn't know.

Never in her life had her emotions been so difficult to understand and manage. The feelings she had for him were driving her crazy. Commitment had never been in her vocabulary, never had her heart betrayed her into wanting a future with any man, but Logan was different to anyone she had ever met before.

Her instincts were roaring at her to run from Logan before he would break her heart like anyone she had ever let close to her before.

Logan didn't have to have enhanced senses to see that Emma was about to freak out, nor did he need his nose to tell him that she was about to cry. Out of anger or tears he was more equipped to deal with her tears, he knew how to handle them.

An angry Emma was a very unpleasant sight.

Finally Logan grabbed her in a firm embrace and held her even when she struggled to break free from his iron hold. It didn't matter that she clawed or growled, he wouldn't let her go and after a while her energy was depleted and she gave up struggling out of his grasp. He then pressed Emma tighter to his chest as her tears of frustration fell down her cheeks.

"Feel better?" he asked a while later, concern evident in his voice. Emma nodded her head tiredly and dried her tears away with the palm of her hand. She couldn't leave, no matter how much she had toyed with the idea. Running away from Logan wouldn't solve anything. Running away from herself and her feelings would solve even less. She would have to stay and face her emotions that were confusing her so.

She sat down on her bed and Logan's bulky frame sat down next her. The bed squeaked in a very alarming way as the little bed was not built for someone Logan's size.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were meeting Barbie? Or was it Brandy? Or maybe Sheila?" Emma drawled snarkily to Logan, her jealousy getting the better of her. She cringed with embarrassment at her own words, never before had it been so important where he had spent the night.

"Not tonight," Logan replied dryly not bothering to explain that he hadn't met any of those women since long before Christmas. He was not certain that he should mention where he had been all night. He hardly understood himself what he felt for the woman sitting next to him. Explaining it to her, the root of his frustration, would be difficult.

"What were you up to? It's almost three in the morning," Emma said tossing her jacket into the corner where Logan had flung her bag moments earlier.

"Went cage fighting, needed to vent."

Emma looked at Logan with an intense interest for a moment. There were not many occasions that forced Logan into cage fighting but she wondered what had pushed his buttons.

It couldn't be that he was as frustrated with the situation as she was?

Could he?

"Won something?"

Logan snorted indignantly and took a swig off his beer.

The Wolverine always won.

"What about you? I thought 'Ro was taking you out," he asked trying to hide the jealousy that had been in overdrive since that afternoon. He felt so possessive of the witch, even more so after realizing his feelings for her. His feelings and desire, he wanted her so bad that it was driving him crazy. It was not a good a combination since he was a feral that had to struggle with his wild side every day of his life.

"We were and we did. Didn't expect Hank to come and steal her away after an hour," Emma huffed sullenly while getting more comfortable on the bed.

"They left you alone at the club instead of driving you home?" Logan asked feeling his anger swirl again. There were dangerous times with all the paranoia in society. If anyone would have associated Emma with mutants she would have been in a world of trouble.

"Yeah, it wasn't a problem; I'm used to being alone. No worries," Emma replied and for a split second Logan almost believed her until the strong scent of lies coming from her almost made him gag. She was a really a horrible liar.

"I'm gonna have a word with them," Logan said, taking out his mobile and preparing to call Hank. Emma was not the type of woman that should be ditched at a bar simply because Hank wanted to get his groove on.

"Don't worry about it Logan. Nothing exciting happened. They left; I took a cab home and have been sulking here ever since."

"At least you're being honest," Logan rumbled and glared at her. Lying was not her strong suit; Emma couldn't lie to save her life.

"Come," he said and pulling her to the window. He then stepped out of the window sill before taking a step to the left and disappearing from sight.

"Logan?" Emma whispered into the darkness, as she stuck her head out the window to try to see where he had disappeared to.

"Grab my hand," Logan's voice said from the blackness and then his hand came down in front of her face. Emma latched on and before she knew she was sitting on top of the roof next to Logan.

"Oh this is just lovely," Emma cooed as she looked up into the dark sky and watched the stars glitter. Her anger had disappeared into thin air. She was happy now that Logan was near her.

"Noticed you're getting restless, thought this might calm you down," he replied shortly.

"Does it help you?" she asked curiously.

"Sometimes."

"And if it doesn't?"

Logan lit his cigar and looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. She'd better not be thinking of running again, he would run right after her and drag her sorry ass back.

He thought for a moment how to reply before finally saying quietly, "If it gets too much I leave."

Emma didn't say anything to that. It was uncomfortable to know how Logan could see through her, the good and bad. Yes, the restlessness in her had been growing lately, everything had been calm and settled for a long time and it had woken up the agitated side of her.

The strange twist in their friendship had pushed her to want to leave to gather her thoughts but at the same time she had to know where their strange bond would end up and to see if there was any hope for them beyond the friendship.

Logan studied her while puffing smoke out of his nostrils, "you still thinking of running?"

She smiled softly, exhaled deeply and looked up at the stars, "not anymore."

With Logan around she had no reason to run. Her entire being was completely at ease when he was around. It was when he was gone that her mind started to play tricks on her and the restlessness started.

"You'll tell me if you gonna run?" Logan asked quietly, dread creeping into his voice. If she would leave without telling him, he would rip the mansion apart in rage.

"I will talk to you first, if you do the same. Fair enough?" Emma said, hinting to the time that he had run out on her to search for Victor Creed. It had been a desperately lonely time for her, proving once again that one could sit in a room filled with people and still feel alone.

"Yeah that sounds fair to me," Logan replied before putting one arm around her waist and pulling Emma closer until she was snuggled tightly to his side. The witch sighed with comfort as her head rested on his shoulder, while the two continued to stargaze. Rough whiskers touched her forehead as Logan planted an unexpected kiss on top of her head and then rested his chin, in a familiar way, on top of her head.

Logan knew he was very possessive of her and had been for a long time. He was never content unless she was near, when he could hold her close to him and know that she was safe from harm. Keeping Emma nearby gave so him so much peace and he suspected the same for the young woman in his arms.

When he had returned to the mansion earlier, frantically searching for Emma and hoping she was alright, there was a certain scent in the air that had alarmed him greatly. It was Emma's nervousness mixed with the same scent that he had felt few years back when Rogue had run away from the mansion.

There had been no doubt in his mind when he had gone to Emma's room, that either she was about to leave or that he had already missed her and she was gone.

The animal within had torn at the mental chains, fighting for freedom to track the scent, find Emma, pull her to him and never let her go.

Logan was in a losing battle with the beast when Jones walked quietly by him saying, "Hey. Emma is in her room, she has the blues she said."

Then the kid had looked hopefully at Logan as if he should save the world and make Emma feel better.

Logan had snapped out of his mood as soon as he had realized how sad Emma had been. He was not happy with the couple leaving Emma at the bar and he would talk to Hank the next time he would meet him.

A while later he could hear Emma's breathing getting slow and steady. A moment later she was sleeping, her head nestled into the crook of his neck. Logan looked down and couldn't help smiling fondly at the way her cheek squeezed against his chest and the way her lips pouted like a child while she slept.

He enjoyed the moment a little while longer, until he noticed that Emma snuggled even closer to him before shivering with cold. That was a tell tale sign that he'd better get her inside or she'd catch a cold. He pulled her gently into his arms and put her to bed.

Logan knew sleep would not come to him that night.

* * *

There were a few things about Emma that could not be considered normal by any standard, mutants or otherwise. From afar Logan had kept an eye on her through the months and had noticed a few things that were different about the little witch.

She loved to stand outside in the rain. He'd found her on few occasion dancing in the rain as if she were a child. He had teased her that humans and mutants didn't do that unless they were off in the head.

After that she had moved even further from the house and mostly doing her rain-dancing when the children were in bed. Logan never approached her again about the subject, as it seemed to irk her, but he continued to watch her rain dance from a distance.

There was something beautifully primal about the witch when she thought she was alone, twirling in circles with her eyes closed and her head turned upwards to the rainy sky. Bursts of magic came from her, nothing dangerous, just enough to surge electricity into the air making the hair on Logan's arms stand on end.

Emma never mentioned to anyone, not even to Logan, that she did this and he never told her that he watched her. It was something fiercely private, something he knew instinctively that she wouldn't like to share with anyone, not even with him.

It was beautiful to watch her so carefree and happy without the worries of fitting in or what were the normal standards of society.

Another thing Logan had noticed that was a little off, it happened when Emma had her monthly cycle. Logan had always noticed that Emma had an unusual sweet tooth, more so that anyone else he had known. Give the witch a chocolate bar, especially dark one, and she would devour it quickly with passion.

However, around her menstrual time, was that her need for sweets went into overdrive. Sure he had seen Rogue and the girls devour some sweets around that time of the month but never with such passion as Emma did. He never had to guess what time of the month it was, when Emma's sugar drive went to high gear.

Such were the times when Emma would get herself a warm toast with butter and a large spoon of sugar on top and then top it off with a glass of warm milk that she added a few spoons of sugar into for good measure.

It seemed to Logan that whenever she felt tired or spent, Emma needed sugar or chocolate to get her energy up. It was if the magic was fed on sweets, giving her energy if the body had problems.

Whenever someone tried to tease her about her sugar need she just laughed and brushed it off even though he could smell just how hard she took it at times, how much she disliked being somehow different from the rest. Ororo was the hardest on Emma when it came to this, being the health nut of the mansion.

The tell tale sign of how different she was however came out the most in how unafraid she was of him. Even when Logan had clashed with Scott in the Danger room and was close to losing control, Emma never flinched with fright or showed any sign of her being afraid of him, not even when he knew that she should be.

Her strange witch instinct told her not to be afraid of him, not even when Logan was not certain himself. Sometimes the Wolverine wanted out and he took out his frustrations in the Danger room and it was even better when he had Scott there to attack.

The wilder side of him liked that Scott was so easy to rile up and confront. It wasn't done in hate on either side; it was more of a vent for the both of them when life tore at them.

* * *

It was early June and school had just ended for the summer. The students that were able, had gone home to their families for a much needed vacation. Others, that were not welcome at home, happily stayed at Xavier's. It was their home and they would be welcome there as long as they wanted and needed.

Emma was pleased having finished a whole year as a teacher and certainly hadn't thought much about what she would do, if she would continue on at Xavier's or if she would go somewhere else. She had been offered by Xavier to continue another year and she was seriously considering it. Thankfully she didn't have to decide right away. It was far too big of a decision for her to make.

Riots had started across the country; dissatisfaction around the globe had stirred the already lit flames of anger all over the United States. After much thought, Xavier had asked the more obviously looking mutants to not stray far from the school, in case of any danger.

In that case the more normal looking staff members traded turns going to the supermarket to buy groceries. That week was Emma's turn and she was more than thrilled to go, to leave the mansion for something simple as shopping was refreshing after staying so long grading papers and exams. The only problem was that she had never learned how to drive. It was a muggle thing, a skill that Emma hadn't even realized she needed until that day. Apparating and disapparating was out of the question, something that so easily would have solved her problem.

Too proud to ask Logan, she wondered who would want to join her on her little trip to town. A sudden thought came to her, why not ask Rogue and make peace after all the resentment that had been between the two over the last year.

As Emma wandered the mansion in hunt of Rogue, she quickly found Ororo who was busy writing a very long shopping list. The witch groaned inside, it would be a long day at the supermarket by the look of the list.

"Ororo, have you seen Rouge by any chance?"

The goddess of weather raised her head, her eyes filled with surprise at Emma's inquiry. Never had Emma looked for anyone but Logan in the mansion and certainly never looked for Rogue.

"I saw her a few moments ago, she just came in from hanging by the pool all morning with Kitty and the others," Ororo said, studying Emma unashamedly as if she was trying to understand her motive for trying to find the student.

"Is there any special reason why you are looking for her? Did she do something wrong?" Ororo insisted, but was caught off guard when Emma openly laughed in her face as if her question had been totally ridiculous.

"Oh Ororo, you worry too much," Emma said smiling widely at the suspicion she had experienced from her friend just moments earlier. Her new friend was like a mother hen to the entire house, students and staff alike.

Ororo smiled shyly in return, "I'm sorry Emma, I think my words came out much harsher than I intended. I was only curious to why you would need to talk to her, from what I understood you two don't seem to get along very well."

"Let's hope those days are behind us. I was hoping to get her to drive me into town so I can shop for the week; looking at your list I know it's going to be a long and painful procedure."

Ororo grinned at her friend; sarcasm was one of Emma's strong points. It was a personality trait that was just so British and it seemed to come as second nature to her young friend. The sharp words rolled off her tongue without her noticing, but humour was always close by to soften the blows of her words.

"You have to get used to mundane things like this, here there is no staff to take care of everything Miss Private School."

Emma grinned teasingly at Ororo's words. The witch had given the staff a very sweet cartoonish version of her life; she had normalized the stories as much as she could in order to blend better into the world around her. Hogwarts was morphed into a private school, house elves miraculously transformed into house staff and houses were picked by interests of the students. It was a correct description perhaps but certainly in its vaguest form.

"I'm getting used to this; it's quite all right Ororo. I just wanted Rogue to come with me for a little bonding time," Emma said genuinely, her voice sounding warm as her thought on how happy Logan would be to know that peace would finally be stored between his two ladies.

"I think that's a very good idea Emma," Ororo said nodding in agreement to her suggestion before her eyes darted from Emma to the kitchen door.

"Speak of the devil, here she is," Ororo said grinning teasingly at Emma and handing her the shopping list before leaving the kitchen quickly after greeting Rogue.

Emma turned around quickly while folding the shopping list together in her hands, she was a little nervous that Rogue would reject her offer but she was trying her best not to show her concern to the girl that was staring at her with suspicion.

"Rogue, I was looking for you."

The girl stared at her distrustfully before promptly saying, "I didn't do it, it was Bobby's idea and I never wanted…"

Emma could help laughing teasingly before for raising her hand to silence the girl. The last thing she wanted was to know some inside information about pranks of the students; she had not been an angel herself when she was young. Most of the trouble with the Trio had prepared her for the struggles of adulthood life and she did not want to ruin, what was most likely, a carefully laid out plan to do some mischief.

"Please Rogue, don't talk yourself into trouble. It should be the other way around. Better to not utter another word, at least not in a presence of a teacher. I think we can agree on that," Emma said smiling widely, her dark eyes twinkling with mirth as she looked at the younger girl with affection.

Rogue's caramel eyes widened in surprise at Emma's words and the girl smiled shyly in return, nodding enthusiastically in agreement with her teacher's words. Miss Winter was right after all, it was better to be quiet and keep her nose out of trouble.

"Now, the reason why I wanted to talk to you was this," Emma said lifting her hand showing the thick shopping list that Ororo had just finished to write.

"As you can see, it's the dreaded shopping list of the mansion and today is my day to go into town to buy whatever is on this list. The problem is, as you probably know, I don't have a driver's licence. Therefore I was thinking you might join me? We might have a cup of coffee on the way and, if we are lucky, even make peace."

Rogue nodded in agreement, feeling enthusiastic about finally getting out of the mansion after weeks of being cooped in and studying, "sure, I'd like that miss Winter."

"Please, you make me feel as old as a Crumple-Horned Snorkack when you call me Miss Winter," Emma replied snorting with humour as she quoted Luna Lovegood. That girl had always made her laugh with her stories of strange creatures that were more fitting in story books than reality. Her laughter died quickly when she noticed that Rogue was staring at her with question in her eyes.

Emma cleared her throat loudly in discomfort when she realized her mistake and her head reeled with some ways to fix her blunder before finally blurting out, "It's a type of deer … very rare. You wouldn't have heard about it here."

Rogue nodded in agreement, having no idea what her teacher was going on about and wondering why she was getting so flustered about deer. Bobby had mentioned that sometimes Miss Winter was an oddball; this was certainly one of those times. Rogue made a mental note to tell Bobby about Miss Winter's newest weirdness the next time she would talk to him.

"Please, call me Emma. I would really want you to be informal with me," Emma said persuasively, giving Rogue a pleading look.

"I would like that too," Rogue said warmly before walking to the cabinet where the house keys were kept. There she picked the keys of the large pickup that was always used when the staff went shopping.

She turned to Emma and nodded her head towards the garage, "let's go."

Emma nodded back enthusiastically and together the two of them went into the large garage of the mansion where Xavier had accumulated so many cars over the decades.

* * *

Shopping had been uneventful. After filling two carts of groceries, the two of them finally walked in the mall to get themselves something to drink before heading home. Emma was feeling more tired than she had realized, the crowd and the loud music inside the supermarket made her want to go home and crawl on her bed while reading a good book.

Emma brought a coffee and a soda over to the table where Rogue was sitting after bringing the groceries to the car.

"There you are, one soda for you," Emma said merrily, handing Rogue a glass filled to the brim with ice and soda.

"Thank you Emma," Rogue said feeling a little awkward to say her teacher's name so casually. It had been instilled in the students to always call the teachers by their family names. Xavier thought it was necessary to maintain a little distance and respect between them.

"You are welcome," Emma replied, while sitting down dramatically to demonstrate just how tired she was. She reached for the sugar and poured three large bags into her espresso. Rogue's questioning glance towards her cup made Emma grin teasingly.

"You are right, it's too much sugar. I realize that, but I am not a health freak like Ororo. I need my sugar to survive," she said in a conspiracy tone as she stirred the thick liquid in the small cup.

The two sat in comfortable silence while they were finishing their drinks before Emma looked at Rogue intensely, her dark eyes studying the younger one seriously.

"Now there was one thing I wanted to talk to you about," she said before taking the final sip of her coffee. She had procrastinated long enough, it was time to come clean with Rogue and discuss what had been on her mind for months.

"I know you will feel uncomfortable, but it's a discussion that we really have to have in order to clear the air and move onward. Don't you agree?"

Rouge had dreaded this, there would be a time where they would have to talk about Logan, it had been inevitable. Still she sighed; it would be so difficult to rationalize what she knew sounded a little bit crazy. She had looked up to Logan from the first moment she had seen him at the bar in Laughlin city. He was her hero, a shelter in a crazy world.

"So, you know we must have a discussion about the whole Logan situation. I don't want you to feel as if I'm stealing him from you as that certainly is not my intention."

"I know that. You wouldn't think so from my behaviour over the last year but I want him happy. I would have wanted him to be happy with me but that will never happen and I realize that. He is happy with you. I see it," Rogue said, being truthful about the situation. It didn't even hurt to say it, she had moved on in her own mind.

"That doesn't mean that I'm trying to steal him from you. You two have your own things that I am not a part of. Your hockey weekends are something beyond me. It's a hobby I simply will never understand," Emma said laughing a deep, throaty laughter thinking back on the time that Logan and Rogue threw her out from the TV room after she had complained too much about the match.

"Hey don't diss the hockey, it's the bomb," Rogue said teasingly at her teacher.

"It's a bomb all right," Emma retorted, sarcasm rolling off her tongue and her British accent stronger than ever. The two laughed and stood up, ready to leave.

"So peace?" Rogue asked finally.

"Peace," Emma said shaking Rogue's outstretched hand warmly and feeling quite certain that the two would become friends with time. The girl had grown up a lot since Emma had moved into the mansion. She had changed from a confused, teenage girl into a confident, young woman.

Emma smiled as they headed towards the exit. Making peace with Rogue had made her extremely happy. It had made her uncomfortable how angry the younger one had been when the friendship between Logan and Emma had started to grow. Finally things were settled between the two, Logan would be happy and there would finally be peace.

* * *

Unfortunately the peace would not last long as the two of them noticed a small group of men staring at them as they walked past. Ororo's warnings rang in Emma's head; times were dangerous all over the world. Mutants were feared and hated as the public didn't understand them. Magneto and his lot had fuelled the hatred to new heights when they had started fighting back.

"That's one of the kids that were with the blue, hairy mutant ape the other day," a burly guy said to a few of his mates and the pointed directly at Rogue, who looked panicked at her teacher. Emma could see the girl visibly pale under the scrutiny of the rough men that stared at her full of hate. The white lock of hair had obviously alerted them to who Rogue was, it was so easy to recognise her from the white within the dark hair.

Emma moved her body in front of Rogue in an attempt to hide the girl from the men's scrutinizing stare. There were no rivalries, just two women that knew they had to get to the car as soon as possible before either of them would get hurt.

"We have to go to the car now, no don't run. It will antagonize them and only make them chase us faster," Emma hissed as low as she cold before putting her arm protectively around Rogue's shoulders. Meanwhile she was cursing herself for the stupidity of having forgotten her wand in her hurry to leave the mansion. She was a total idiot, forgetting her wand proved as much to her.

Even though the two women weren't far apart in age they were in height and manner. Rogue instinctively put her trust in Emma to get her out of a scary situation and not giving a second thought to the reasoning that Emma was as far as the students knew, totally normal and not in any advance to fight off an angry mob.

Rogue heard Emma mumbling to herself, "accio wand," but thought nothing of it, not knowing that her teacher's sixth sense was screaming that they were in danger and that she had just summoned her wand that was locked down in a chest by her bed, at Xavier's request.

If Rogue would use her powers on the group the angry crow would surely tear them to pieces. The two women hurried through the mall, towards their exit. Emma silently prayed that she would be able to get Rouge out of the situation unharmed.

* * *

The students were scattered around the basketball court watching an epic battle between Bobby and Angel. The professor was out with Ororo, they were trying to find investors to privately fund to keep the school and the X-men alive in such troubling times.

Logan and Scott were sparring in the danger room, completely unaware of anything but their need for blood and revenge on each other for past grieves.

No one noticed loud banging sounds coming from Emma's bedroom in the teacher's quarters.

The sight of Emma's chest floating in mid-air in her room would have startled most people. The loud bangs from inside the chest sounded as if a few very angry hippogriffs were trying to burst out.

With every attempts of Emma's wand to respond to the desperate calls of its master, the chest floated further towards the window. Finally it reached the window and started an endless forceful banging on the window sill as the chest was far too wide for the window.

The banging sounds echoed through the halls of the mansion.

* * *

Emma and Rogue went out to the parking lot and the younger one pointed towards the old pickup truck quite a far distance away, where they had parked it earlier that morning.

Realizing that her wand would not arrive in time, Emma grabbed Rogue's gloved hand and hissed at her "we have to run, there is no other way".

The young girl at her side nodded in agreement.

"Here are the keys, if something happens you get yourself to the mansion and to safety. If I won't make it, call them immediately as soon as you are in a safe distance. Xavier would skin me alive if something happened to you," Emma said urgently as they ran as fast as they could over the parking lot. The three men were right behind them and were much quicker than Emma had anticipated.

"Where are you going mutie?" one of the guys said grabbing Rogue roughly, who in return screamed terrified while struggling to get out of the man's grip.

"Let her go you bloody wanker," Emma growled angrily before trying to hit the man who held Rogue. The man swatted her away and grabbed Rouge even harder. Hearing Rogue groan in pain pissed Emma off, the men had surrounded them and that drove her forward, she had to get Rouge out of there before something really bad would happen.

"Let her go!" Emma snarled and stared deeply into the attacker's eyes, trying to unleash whatever uncontrolled magic that was within her. It felt like forever but little the man's hand started to shake and the vice hold on Rogue loosened enough for her to escape his grasp.

Audible gasps were heard and angry grumbles were heard from the men as they closed in on Emma and in that moment she knew that the tables had turned, Rogue was safe but it was herself that was in trouble.

"Mutie, she's a mutie," someone said heatedly before the men encircled her closely, Rogue forgotten in the commotion. Emma saw from the corner of her eye that Rogue ran as the wind towards the pickup and the witch was relieved to see that this time, for the first time, the teenage girl did what Emma told her to do.

Rogue started the car and sped away with her foot securely on the gas. There was no way that she could alone stand and help when they were so overpowered. Rogue grabbed her cell phone out of her pocket and called for help.

* * *

Emma watched Rogue speed away from the corner of her eye as she herself tried to get out of the ring of aggressive men. They were enraged by her little demonstration of power and as soon as she too, tried to take off, the fuming mad men attacked her as if they had been waiting for an excuse to let their frustrations out.

Emma moaned with pain as the first blow hit her straight in the face, in only moments, she was on the ground being attacked from all angles with fists and feet. Emma tried to block her head the best she could while she screamed desperately for help.

She might have been through many battles but never without her wand and without it she was no match for a group of angry and terrified men. Her only hope was that the X-men would come to her aid in time. Emma wasn't sure they would make it in time, it took time to get the X-men ready and even more time to reach town.

With every burst of pain in her body, she prayed she would last long enough for help to reach her. Just make it a few minutes more, they would come soon enough if she just held on.

Logan, how she wished that Logan was with her.

It didn't take long until the vicious attack had brutalized her body, consciousness left her and a welcome, dark abyss swallowed up her mind. Emma never felt the bust of red hot magic flowing out of her body, and never saw how it engulfed viciously the startled men that had attacked her.

Nor did she hear the terrified screams, as wild magic consumed the men.

Then there was nothing but silence.

Back at the mansion, in Emma's room, the chest fell to the ground with a loud bang, breaking its lid in the process. The witch's old wand rolled out of the chest, until it stopped dead in the middle of the floor.

The wand didn't struggle anymore to get to its mistress.

There was no longer anyone beckoning to it.


End file.
